Mahendra Nath was born on Friday, 14 July, 1854, 31st of Ashadha, 1261 B.Y., on the Naga Panchami day in Shiva Narayana Das Lane of Shimuliya locality of Calcutta. Mahendra Nath’s father was Madhusudan Gupta and mother Swarnamayi Devi. Madhusudan was a bhakta (a pious man) and Thakur was aware of his bhakti. Mahendra Nath was the third child of Madhusudan. It is said that Madhusudan got this son after performing mental worships of Shiva twelve times one after the other. For this reason, he had a special affection for this son and he was particularly careful that this child may not come to any harm. The boy Mahendra was extremely good -natured and had great love for his parents. Mahendra could recall many incidents of his early childhood. For example, he went with his mother to witness the Ratha festival of Mahesh when he was five. On their return journey the boat touched the Dakshineswar ghat. When everybody was busy having darshan of gods and goddesses in the temple, M. somehow got lost and found himself alone in the Nata Mandir in front of Bhavatarini shrine. And not finding his mother there he began to cry. At that moment somebody seeing him crying consoled and silenced him. Mahendra Nath used to say that this incident remained always uppermost in his mind. He would witness with his mental eye the bright radiance of the newly constructed and dedicated temple. He who came to console him was probably Thakur himself.

As a boy Mahendra Nath studied in the Hare School. He was a very bright student and always held first or second position in his class. On his way to and from the school there was the shrine of Mother Sheetla of Thanthania. This shrine can now

be seen in front of the College Street Market. On his way to and from the school he would never forget to stand before the deity to pay his obeisance. By virtue of intelligence and hard work he won scholarship and honours in his Entrance, F.A. and B.A. examinations. In his Entrance examination he won the second top position. In the F.A. examination though he missed one of his Mathematics papers, he was placed fifth in the merit list. In his B.A. he stood third in the year 1874. He was a favourite student of Prof. Tony in the Presidency College. While still in the college he was married to Nikunja Devi, the daughter of Thakur Charan Sen and a cousin sister of Keshab Sen in 1874. Sri Ramakrishna and the Holy Mother had great love and affection for Nikunja Devi too. When Nikunja Devi lost her son, she almost became mad with grief. At that time, Thakur would bring peace to her mind by stroking her body with his hand.

Before entering the education line, he served for sometime with the government and then in a merchant house. But he could not stick to them. Thakur had already arranged a different way of life for him. He took up teaching in school and college. In Rippon, City and Metropolitan colleges, he taught English, Psychology and Economics. When he started going to Thakur in 1882, he was the headmaster of the Shyampukur branch of Vidyasagar’s school.

Rakhal, Purna, Baburam, Vinod, Bankim, Tejachandra, Kshirode, Narayana and some other intimate devotees of Thakur were all students of his school. That is why they all called him Master Mahashay. For the same reason, he became famous in Sri Ramakrishna’s group of devotees as ‘Mahendra,’ ‘Master,’ or ‘Master Mahashay’. Thakur also

called him ‘Master’ or ‘Mahendra Master’.

Mahendra Nath was inclined towards religion since his early years. During these days Keshab Sen came up as a famous preacher and a founderthe founder of Navavidhan Brahmo Samaj. These days Mahendra Nath used to keep company with Keshab. He would take part in worship in Navavidhan Mandir, or in his house. At this time Keshab was his ideal. Later, he said that at times during worship Keshab Sen used to pray with such moving words that he looked like a divine personality. Mahendra Nath said that later on when he met Thakur and heard him, he realized that Keshab had derived this heart charming bhava from Thakur himself.

Mahendra Nath met Thakur in Dakshineswar on February 26, 1882. As Thakur saw M., he recognized him as a right person eligible for divine knowledge. At the end of the first meeting when M. was leaving, Thakur said to him, ‘Come again.’ He felt sad when he came to know that M. was married and had children. But he also told him that there were very good (yogi like) signs on his forehead and eyes. At that time Mahendra Nath liked to meditate on the formless Brahman. He did not like to worship Bhagavan, or the deity in clay images.

M. was very well read in Western pPhilosophy, Literature, History, Science, Economics and so on. He also had mastery on the Puranas, Sanskrit scriptures and epics. He knew by heart verses from Kumarsambhava, Shakuntala, Bhattikavya, Uttar Ramacharita etc. He had also studied Buddhist and Jain philosophies. He had digested the Bible, particularly the New Testament, very well. As a result of all this Mahendra Nath considered himself a scholar.

However, during his first meeting with Thakur this pride of his received a blow. Thakur showed him the insignificance of

the knowledge he had acquired. He made him realize that real knowledge is only to know God and all the rest is ignorance.

A couple of blows received by him from Thakur’s words

silenced Mahendra Nath. As Thakur would say, ‘A big frog is silenced forever after a croak or two when it falls a prey to a

king cobra

’

So it happened with M.

In his very first meeting Thakur taught M. how to keep both

sides — of this world and the other world during one’s journey through the world. This is called ‘sannyasa in the household’. The essence of it can be summed up in this: Do all your work but keep your mind in God. Live with your wife, son, father, mother and others. Serve them taking them

to

be your very own but know in your mind that none of them

is

yours.

Just as a the ‘mother of the pearl’ swimming on water receives a drop of rain of Swati (nakshatra, a conjunction of stars) and then dives deep into the sea and lies there rearing the pearl, M. followed this instruction of Thakur, and began to practise sadhana in the mind, in the forest, or in some solitary corner. He understood that the aim of human life is God- realization. He began his sadhana in a lonely place and whenever found time, he went and sat at Thakur’s feet. Lest he should fall into the whirlpool of household later on, Thakur put him to test from time to time and he would ask him the reason if he did not come to him for long.

Thakur knew from the very beginning that M. would speak out Bhagavata to the people and teach it to them. Should he

fall into the whirlpool of avidya (ignorance), Thakur’s desire would not be fulfilled through him. So with a keen sight he would keep observing whether some knot was not forming within M. When he made sure that M. had become efficient, Thakur said to him in January, 1884, ‘Now go and live at home. Let them know as if you are their own but be sure in your mind that you are not theirs, nor they are yours.’ Throughout his life Mahendra Nath practised this mantra of sannyasa in household. Thakur would always say, ‘Be in the world but not of the world.’ Thakur said to him, ‘Your eyes and forehead show as if a yogi has come here while practising austerity, as if you are an intimate companion of Chaitanya Deva.’

"I recognised you from your reading of Chaitanya Bhagavata."

"You belong to the class of the perfect by nature."

"Do you know what you are! Narada began transmitting Brahmajnana to all (to Sanat, Sanatan and others). So Brahma bound him in maya by a curse."

"You will be able to recognise all people."

"You are my intimate companion. Had it not been so, how could your mind have been so much on this side even when lacked nothing worldly."

"Mother, do grant Your darshan to him again and again. Otherwise, how will attend to both sides? Let him keep both. What is the need of renouncing all at once? Yet may Thy Your wish prevail. You may make him renounce all later on if

that is Thy Your will."

"Mother, awaken him. Otherwise how would he awake others? Why have you put him in worldly life? What would have been lost if it had not been so and the same had continued?"

"Narendra and Rakhal would keep away from women. You too will. You will also not be able to go after women."

"He is a deep soul like the Falgu river, he has real spirituality within."

A struggle kept raging in Mahendra Nath’s mind while he was with Thakur, ‘Why have I not embraced sannyasa?’ Had it been so, his mind could have soared like a free bird in chidakasha (in the firmament of divine consciousness). Thakur would assure him from time to time and said, "He who has renounced from the mind is a renouncee. Nobody who comes here is a householder."

"The householder bhaktas of Chaitanya Deva also lived with their family unattached."

"When you take up a work, you lessen the involvement of worldly intellect in it."

Just as a weak child holds his mother with full force having embraced her tightly when overwhelmed with fear knowing her to be the chief and sure shelter, Mahendra Nath also kept holding Thakur in the fear of weaknesses born of family life, so much so that he absorbed himself throughout his life in Thakur’s bhava. He talked of nothing but Thakur. He thought of Thakur as his only refuge, his most desirable goal and the only one attainable. He had become one with Thakur. Thakur alone was his supreme attainment —

Yam labdhva chaparam manyate nadhikah tatah,

Yasmin sthito na dukhena guruna api vichalyate.

— Gita 6:22

[And having gained which, he thinks that there is no greater gain than that, wherein established he is not shaken even by the heaviest affliction.]

Day and night M. would proclaim the tact to save oneself in this age of Kali: ‘Keep company of the holy, practise of spiritual discipline in solitude for some days and faith in the words of Guru.’ They who saw him in his old age felt that here was a yogi, a rishi who was living in the ashrama soliciting the human beings to shower the love of Sri Ramakrishna on them. Morning, afternoon or evening

whenever one went to him, one would see him in the company of devotees talking of love of God. It was the story of the Lord which flowed continuously from the Vedas, the Puranas, the Bible, the Quran, the holy book of the Buddhists, the Gita, the Bhagavata, the Adhyatma (Ramayana). No weariness, no pause — unceasing talk of Thakur, the embodiment of all faiths and spiritual practices. What an extraordinary way of serving Thakur! He had dedicated his body, mind and wealth all to his work. Does this constitute what is called the ‘servant I,’ the way of Hanuman?

Who does not and would not like to be fortunate enough to be the servant of Ramakrishna Deva? And then his intimate disciples were, of course, his servants. M. too was a marked servant of Sri Ramakrishna. ‘You are my own, the same substance like father and son’ — these holy words of Thakur indicate this. That Narendra Nath would carry out the mission of Thakur had been written by Thakur while referring to him. That Mahendra Nath too would do Thakur’s work was hinted by him so often. We can find it in the Kathamrita at several places, ‘Mother, I can say no more. Please grant power to Rama, Mahendra, Vijay and others that they may carry out Your work from now onwards.’

"Mother, why have You given him (M.) one kala Shakti (one sixteenth of Your power)? O, I understand, it will be enough for Your work. One day Thakur said to Master Mahashay, ‘The Mother has kept the Bhagavata Pundit (the preacher of the divine word) in the world tying him with one bond. Otherwise, who will speak out Bhagavata?’ And so on. Thus we see that just as Narendra Nath had come for Thakur’s work and Thakur too gave him the badge of authority of his

power; similarly, Mahendra Nath was also not deprived of his share in his inheritance — he too got power and bhakti from Thakur. To make him competent to work for welfare of mankind, Sri Ramakrishna made him undergo austerities from time to time. For more than a month, from 14 December, 1883 to almost the middle of January, 1884 he practised continuous sadhana under the benign care of Thakur in Dakshineswar. While living with Thakur not only M.’s heart had opened out but his pride had also vanished. Thakur used to say, ‘His pride has gone.’ Had he retained his pride, M. could not have accomplished the task assigned by Thakur to him. This task was to speak out Thakur’s words to others. In the five volumes of ‘Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita,’ having kept himself hidden, M. has proclaimed fully the glory of Sri Ramakrishna Deva. He gave himself a number of pseudo names — ‘Mani,’ ‘Mohini Mohan,’ ‘A Particular Bhakta,’ ‘M.,’ ‘Englishman’ and so on. The writer’s personality, however, manifests nowhere at all. Only at some places one comes across his reflections. Bbut even they are based on what Thakur had said and are merely an effort to proclaim Thakur’s glory. These thoughts and reflections are nothing but just the image of Sri Ramakrishna on the pure expanse of the heart of a servant. This is how he erased and hid himself. That is why Swami Vivekananda on reading the Gospel in 1897 wrote, ‘I now understand why none of us attempted his life before. It has been reserved for you, this great work. Socratic dialogues are Plato all over. You are entirely hidden.’

Sri Keshab Gupta wrote, "Repression of the temptation of being a literary figure is the veracity of ‘Sri Sri Ramakrishna

Kathamrita.’ Like tuberoses spreading its their perfume while keeping themselves hidden is the great beauty of this spiritual book.’’

The tests to which Thakur used to subject him have also been mentioned in the Kathamrita — 9 November, 1884. In this way, it appears that this work (the recording of the Kathamrita) had been reserved for him. Mahendra Nath had annotated these nectar- like immortal words of Thakur while living in his company in his diary with year, date, day of the week and the lunar date. Taking these notes as foundation the ‘Gospel’ and the five volumes of ‘Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita’ have been produced. This work is unique in history — the life of a divine personality, avatara, has never been recorded in this way anywhere. This is a new genre. N. Ghosh said rightly about ‘Sri Sri Kathamrita’ in the ‘Indian Nation’: ‘"They take us straight to the truth and not through metaphysical maze. The style is Biblical in simplicity. What a treasure would it have been to the world, if all the sayings of Sri Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, Nanak, Chaitanya could have been preserved thus."

Can anybody and everybody accomplish such a work? Even if one does, it cannot be with such a pure bhava. It was possible only by the grace and desire of Thakur. That is why, Thakur first rid the writer of his pride. This is the reason why Mahendra Nath hid himself by taking up a number of pseudonyms. They are found in the Kathamrita.

It is obvious from the words coming out of the lips of Mahendra Nath and also from his bhava that he lived with Thakur in the perfect state of mind of a servant while making

a sannyasi of himself. He would often quote: ‘We ought to

have the only aim. To be as perfect as our Father in heaven is

perfect[170].’

After the demise of Thakur, he used to visit Barahnagar Math now and then to live with his brother disciples, so that the ideal of their seva (service) and sadhana, renunciation and hard life may get firmly rooted in him.

With the aim of cultivating the spirit of complete dependence on God he would, at times, spend nights in front of the Senate Hall like the indigent.

At times he would go to Uttar Pradesh to live in a hut[171] and practise austerities like sadhus.

Sometimes he would go to the Howrah Station to see people coming back from their pilgrimage and would pay his obeisance to them. He would ask for prasad from them, take it himself and also give it to his companions, if there was were any, saying ‘Tthe prasad brings you in contact with Bhagavan Himself.’

Whenever he found time or opportunity, Mahendra Nath would seek the company of Thakur in Dakshineswar, or in the house of some devotee. He would be with Thakur even

during the recess time in his school whenever Thakur came to

a devotee’s house. Once the result of the Shyampukur school

was rather low because of his frequent visits to Thakur. Vidyasagar Mahashay said to him rather sarcastically, ‘Master (M.) is busy with the Paramahansa. He has no time to think of the schools affairs.’ As this remark involved his guru’s name, he immediately resigned his job. When Thakur came

to know of it, he said, ‘You have done the right thing. The Mother will arrange all for you.’

Whenever Thakur was in need of anything, he would tell Mahendra Nath, adding at the same time, ‘I cannot accept from all.’

Mahendra Nath was very popular with Sri Ramakrishna’s group of devotees for his goodness and simplicity of heart. When Narendra Nath was in straightened circumstances after the death of his father and was very anxious to carry out sadhana, Mahendra Nath arranged for his family expenses for three months, thus enabling him to attend to his spiritual pursuit with a free mind as directed by Thakur. At times Mahendra Nath would also go to Narendra Nath’s mother and give render some help secretly.

After Sri Thakur’s maha samadhi, his devotees established a math in Barahnagar. In earlier stages Suresh Mitra, Balaram Bose, M. and others rendered financial help to them. At that time Mahendra Nath was teaching in two schools. He used to donate his income from one school to the Math. From 1890 to 1893 Narendra Nath lived the life of a wandering monk. Inspired by his example some of his brother disciples went to Himalayas, or Uttarkhanda to carry out tapasya there. During this period Mahendra Nath kept himself absorbed in his diaries day and night, meditated on Thakur and took refuge at the feet of the Holy Mother. Whenever a conflict arose in his mind, he would give himself up completely to the Holy Mother. He would also bring her to his house at times and serve her. The Holy Mother would stay in Mahendra Nath’s house sometimes for more than a fortnight and sometimes for

more than a month. As directed by Thakur in her dream, the Holy Mother went to the house of Mahendra Nath and installed the holy water vessel with her own hands and arranged puja. In this shrine the hHoly mMother carried out a lot of puja, japa and meditation.

Since 1889 M. used to send some money for the service of the Holy Mother every month regularly. Whenever the Holy Mother was in need of anything, she too informed Mahendra Nath. When a piece of land was to be bought for Jagadhatri puja, she directed Mahendra Nath to send money. On reading the letter, he sent Rs. 320/-. When once he was asked to send some money for digging a well in her village, in times of at the time of water scarcity, Mahendra Nath sent Rs. 100/-. M. also used to send money to the sadhus of the Math who went to the hills or distant places for sadhan and bhajan.

M. had already received a number of requests to publish this book. And later, when more and more requests started pouring in, M. one day read it out to the Holy Mother at her instance. She was extremely pleased to hear it. Blessing M. she said, ‘On hearing it from your lips I felt as if Thakur himself is talking all this.’ And she directed M. to publish the book.

The first edition of ‘The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna’ (According to M., a son of the Lord and Disciple) was published by Mahendra Nath in English in 1897.

Thus Gospel began to be known in English. Sri Ramachandra Dutta wrote in the Tattva Manjari published from Yogodyan, in the month of Agrahayana, 1304 B.Y. (November-

December, 1897).

"Revered Mahendra Nath Gupta… who has so much faith in the Lord that he is making a humanly effort of spreading His words by recording it in a book for the good of the ordinary man… We request Gupta Mahashay that instead of bringing

these teachings in parts he may publish them in the form of a

big

It would be of greater service to the common

man.

"Our second request is that he may not give up writing in Bengali language because the deep essence of the narratives get somewhat changed at several places while translating into English — we need not tell it to Master Mahashay. The common man of this region would find it difficult to understand it (in English)." And this is how it happened later. Bearing the name of ‘Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita’ by Sri M., it began to appear in Tattva Manjari, Banga Darshan, Udbodhan, Hindu Patrika and some other monthly magazines of the time. Then they were collected and published as Volume I through the Udbodhan Press by Swami Trigunatitananda. The second volume appeared in 1904, the third in 1908, the fourth in 1910 and the fifth in 1932. This work has been translated in so many Indian and foreign languages. Everybody began to say, "An invaluable gem is being added to the Bengali literature."

With the publication of the Kathamrita new and still new devotees began to visit the Math and the Holy Mother’s house. More and more sannyasis began to read the Kathamrita. The Ganga of peace began to flow in theis world of trials and tribulations.

Swami Premananda wrote: Thousands and thousands of people are getting new life from the Kathamrita, thousands are receiving bliss from it. Bent under the weight of trials and sufferings of the worldly life so many thousands of people are gaining peace in their family life of sorrow and attachment.

All recognized that Sri Ramakrishna, avatara of the age, has incarnated for the good of humanity. And man will attain peace and gain fearlessness only by taking shelter at his feet.

Presiding at the birth anniversary of M. in 1955, Sri Hemendra Prasad Ghosh said: M. has presented Sri Ramakrishna to the world through his Kathamrita and that too in a very short time. Had he not written the Kathamrita, it would have taken long for the world to know Thakur. God can be realized even while living in household — the truth taught by Sri Ramakrishna is clearly manifest in M.

Many western devotees also used to meet M. at M.’s his house. M. would talk only of his Guru Sri Ramakrishna for days, months and years continuously.

He said, ‘I am an insignificant person. But I live by the side of an ocean and I keep with me a few pitchers of sea water. When a visitor comes, I entertain him with that. What else

can I speak of but his words.’

He would speak in such a touching manner and and so full of affection that it appeared to the visitors that they were listening these words sitting close to Thakur himself. A bridge as if was built between the spot where he used to sit and talk of Thakur and the spots of Thakur’s leela. His narratives became real. Paul Brunton met Mahendra Nath and he narrated this meeting in his book ‘Search in Secret India’. While describing his first meeting with M., he writes, ‘A venerable patriarch has stepped out from the pages of Bible and a figure from Mosaic times has turned to flesh.’

Swami Yogananda in his book ‘Autobiography of a Yogi,’ recorded how he was inspired by Mahendra Nath in his earlier years while entering his future spiritual life.

Mahendra Nath was a sannyasi in household. His life is a bright illustration of renunciation. ‘Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita’ by M. is not only an excellent piece of literature, it isbut also the immortal words of divine life.

Many a young man embraced sannyasa by coming in contact with Mahendra Nath and found new inspiration in their religious life. They who saw him even once can never forget his yogi like figure, his humbleness and his simplicity.

When the translation of some chapters of Kathamrita appeared as Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Volume II and was also published in the Morn Star without M.’s permission and consultation, how hurt M. felt within is evident from his letter:

Dear Ayukta Babaji. My love and salutations to you all. The translation of the Gospel in the Morn Star is, I regret to say,

not satisfying to me. Being an eyewitness I naturally want the spirit to be kept up in the translation. Moreover, the report of a meeting should not appear in a mutilated form. The translation should be done by myself. You may do the work after my passing away which is by no means a distant contingency. I am 76 and my health is not at all good. It is painful to see the Gospel presented in this way. I do not approve the translation which has appeared as Volume II from Madras…

Mahendra Nath never made disciples and he never initiated anybody with a mantra. He tried to literally follow each and every word of Thakur. He was not fanatic. In all religions he saw the ‘harmonizing image’ of Sri Ramakrishna. He spent his whole life in spreading the nectarine words of Thakur, as if it was his life long vow.

Mahendra Nath Dutta in his book ‘Master Moshayer Anudhyan’ wrote —

"He (M.) believed that the Guru and the ideal deity are one — the Guru is the deity and the deity is Guru, they are one and the same. By discussing and meditating on Sri Ramakrishna, thinking upon him, recollecting him and continuous talking of him made M. inwardly filled with Ramakrishna, though outwardly he was Mahendra Nath Gupta. He tried to be one with Sri Ramakrishna by giving up his own individuality and independent thinking. He retained no other thought, no bhava of his own. That which is called in English as fiery independent spirit or self assertion, he retained none. From within he was all Ramakrishna. It seems as if his main objective in life was to live as a reflection of Sri Ramakrishna. So, I say that having given up his independent

thinking, his own individuality, or personal views he became one with his Guru. The instructions of the Guru, his word and his talks were the only subjects of his thought. Of course, while attending to worldly work, or teaching in the school, that is to say works of lower plane, he did retain his individuality and independent thinking. When he attended to his household work, or managed his school he had his personal views (these are matters of lower plane.) But even on such work the impact of Sri Ramakrishna and his views were quite evident. So, I say that Master Mahashay was Sri Ramakrishna within and Mahendra Nath Gupta without.’’

During the lifetime of Sri Ramakrishna, Mahendra Nath was first among the bhaktas to visit the native village of his guru. For him it became the holiest place of pilgrimage. Taking every spot there as holy he offered obeisance lying prostrate on the ground. And he brought some dust from this place knowing it to be sacred. Hearing this Thakur said, ‘Nobody asked and you did it of your own…!’ He shed tears of joy and moving his hand on his head and body, he blessed him and said, ‘Bringing dust shows bhakti.’

Mahendra Nath felt unspeakable joy by touching the idol of Jagannath in Puri and Tarakanath in Tarkeshwar as desired by Thakur. Hearing of it Sri Ramakrishna touched Mahendra Nath’s hand and said, ‘You are pure.’

Whenever M. started writing Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita in a book form, he would take to holy acts of one meal a day and that too havishya (boiled sunned rice with clarified butter.) And till the completion of printing and publication of the book he would keep up this vow.

At the time of publication of the fifth volume, he left his mortal frame.

Thakur used to say, ‘Bhagavata[172], bhakta and Bhagavan — all the three are one.’ That is why, whenever the character of Mahendra Nath, the bhakta, is discussed mostly it is related to Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita. The recorder of Bhagavata lives forever along with the Bhagavata. Thus Mahendra Nath has also attained immortality. So long as the name of Sri Ramakrishna remains alive in this world, his Bhagavata — ‘Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita’ will also live and with it will live M.

It was the night of the 20th Jaishtha when Mahendra Nath fell ill after completing the writing of ‘Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita’ — V. In the following morning at 6 o’clock on Saturday repeating the name of Sri Thakur and Mother, and with this last prayer on his lips, — ‘O Gurudeva, Mother, take me in your lap’ — this highest of the yogis, left his body at the age of 78. It was the departure of a great yogi, as if he was just asleep.

In the cremation ground at Cossipore, the last rites on the holy body of Sri M. were performed to the right of the spot where Sri Thakur’s body was cremated. Mahendra Nath was ever a servant of Thakur and at the end he found a place close to him. Many intimate devotees of Sri Ramakrishna had left this world of maya before the demise of Mahendra Nath but this precious point was as if reserved by Thakur for this beloved servant-- disciple of his.

At that time the place of Thakur’s samadhi was like a

platform of white marble. While planning M.’s samadhi his two worthy sons — Prabhas Chandra Gupta and Charu Chandra Gupta — bore almost all the expenses for the construction of canopy of both Sri Thakur and Master Mahashay.

Bengali Publisher

Publisher’s Note

It is a matter of great privilege for us on presenting before our readers the first volume of Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita in English. Sri Thakur has been wonderfully gracious to reward our endeavor, that the words emanated from His holy lips and kept carefully unalloyed by M. should be translated word for word from Bengali to English. This further strengthens our resolve to publish all the five parts of Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita in the same sequence as published by revered M. in original Bengali. The first part is a verbatim translation of the original Bengali that maintains the sequence of all chapters.

Before you dive deep into the Kathamrita, a look at its publishing history would be of good interest to you. The five volumes of Kathamrita in Bengali saw the light of the day in the years 1902, 1904, 1908, 1910 and 1932. While you read all the five volumes, you can see through the development of M.'s mind: from intellectual to intellectual-spiritual, from intellectual-spiritual to spiritual-intellectual and from spiritual-intellectual to pure spiritual and then the practical pure spiritual state. In the first volume of the Kathamrita, we find the profound truths explained with the help of illustrations with an intellectual reasoning. For example, the tortoise moves about in water but do you know where its mind abides? Rub your hands with oil before you break the jack fruit, etc. In Volume II of the Kathamrita, the highest Truth is explained by an intellect that is soaked in Spirit. In Part III, you will find Sri Ramakrishna expounding sublime truths with totally spiritual intellect. In Volume IV the practical spirit shows the way to bring the injunctions into practice and how to internalize the Word. And in Part V, we find the Organized Spirit in action: its interface with the world and the concordance of the Word. In short, the five volumes of the Kathamrita are the five steps leading us from the gross to Mahakarana (the Great Cause).

Smt. Ishwar Devi Gupta discovered this fountain of divine joy and peace in the holy conversations of M. in 1958 in the

Bengali Sri Ma Darshan. Inspired by this long cherished discovery, she started translating them into Hindi as a prayerful offering for her own sake and for the Hindi knowing brothers and sisters. The day she completed the translation of sixteenth volume of Sri Ma Darshan into Hindi, she was reminded of the words of her Gurudeva, Swami Nityatmananda, "Mummy, you must translate Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita too, as you have been translating Sri Ma Darshan from Bengali to Hindi.’ So, the next day she started the yeoman task of translating the five parts of Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita into Hindi.

Sri Dharm Pal Gupta started the task of translating them into English maintaining the same spirit of faithful translation. And before he left this world in 1998, he had completed the colossal work of translating all the five parts of Kathamrita into English. Thereafter, an effort has been made for the presentation of the Word.

Sri Ma Trust offers its sincere gratitude to all those bhaktas and friends who are helping in any way in financing, production, publication and distribution of the volumes. Special mention must be made of Sri Lakshmi Niwas Jhunjhunwala, Dr. Kamal Gupta, Sangeeta Kapoor, Vinay Mehta and Nitin Nanda. May our readers, friends and associates attain supreme bliss and peace - this is our heartfelt prayer at the feet of the Lord.

Kalpataru Day

Monday, January 01, 2001

Publisher

Prayer

Om Thakur, our beloved Father! This day we open this centre named Sri Ramakrishna Sri Ma Prakashan Trust (Sri Ma Trust) to propagate your holy name to all people of the world in our humble way for the peace and happiness of all. Yourself, accompanied by the Holy Mother and your beloved disciples like Swami Vivekananda and revered ‘M.’, do bless us; be always with us; do guide us in the right direction.

By this unselfish work, by this labour of love may we realise your real nature, God-incarnate on earth!

May we have peace and happiness real; may all beings of the universe be peaceful and happy; may the entire universe be the abode of peace and happiness real and eternal!

I am your humble son and servant,

Swami Nityatmananda

Civil Lines, Rohtak

December 20, 1967

SRI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHANSA (1836 - 1886)

Life of Thakur spoken with his own Holy Lips

[Three Classes of Evidences]

It has been a long cherishing desire to publish the life of Thakur since his childhood incidents in a serial form. After completing the Kathamrita in six or seven volumes, material would be available to write his life spoken with his own holy lips. In this regard three classes of evidences would be available.

First: Direct and recorded on the same day. This is what Thakur Sri Ramakrishna said about his childhood, his states of sadhana (spiritual practices) etc. and what the bhaktas recorded on the same day. The life of Thakur spoken with his own holy lips that is published in Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita belongs to this class of evidence. The day M. saw Thakur's acts, or heard from his holy lips, he recalled it and recorded in his daily dairy that very day during the night (or in day time). This kind of version is obtained by direct seeing and hearing - along with the year, the date, the day of the week and the lunar date.

Second: Direct but unrecorded at the time of the Master. This is what the bhaktas themselves heard from the holy lips of Thakur, they are recalling it and speaking out now. This kind of version is also very good. The record of the other avataras is generally of this kind. Even then twenty four years have passed. Herein there is a greater possibility of mistakes than what is recorded immediately.

Third: Hearsay and unrecorded at the time of the Master. What one hears about Thakur's childhood, or his states of sadhana from his contemporaries like Hridya Mukherji, Roy Chatterji and other bhaktas, or what one hears about the life of Thakur from the residents of Kamarpukur, Jairambati, Shyam Bazaar, or from the circle of Thakur's devotees belongs to the third class evidence.

At the time of writing Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita, M. has relied upon the first class evidence. If M. publishes Thakur's life in a serial form, for that too he would rely mainly on the first class evidence. In other words, its contents would be written relying on the life of Thakur spoken with his own holy lips.

Calcutta, 1317 B.Y., 1910 A.D.

Letter to M from The Holy Mother

on Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita

Dear Child,

Whatever you had heard from him (Thakur) is nothing but the truth. You need not feel any diffidence about it. At one time it was he who had placed those words with you. And it is now he who is bringing them to the light of the day according to the needs of the time. Know it for certain that unless these words are published, man will not have his consciousness awakened. All the words of his that you have with you everyone of them is true. One day when you read them out to me I felt as if it was he who was speaking.

Jairambati,

21st Ashada, 1304,

(4th July, 1897)

Letters to M. from Swami Vivekananda

on Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita

7 Feb. 1889

Antepore[1]

Thanks! 100,000 Master! You have hit Ramakristo in the right point.

Few alas, few understand him!

My heart leaps in joy and it is a wonder that I do not go mad when I find anybody thoroughly launched into the midst of the doctrine which is to shower peace on earth hereafter.

Narendra Nath

October, 1897

C/O Lala Hansraj

Rawalpindi

Dear M.,

Cest bon mon ami - now you are doing just the thing. Come out man. No sleeping all life. Time is flying. Bravo! That is the way.

Many many thanks for your publication - only I am afraid it will not pay its way in pamphlet form… Never mind - pay or no pay. Let it see the blaze of daylight. You will have many blessings on you and many more curses. But that is always the way of the world, Sir. This is the time.

Yours in the Lord,

Vivekananda.

Dehradun

24 November, 1897

My dear M.,

Many many thanks for your second leaflet. It is indeed wonderful. The move is quite original and never was the life of a great teacher brought before the public untarnished by the writer’s mind as you are doing.

The language is also beyond all praise so fresh, so pointed and withal so plain and easy.

I cannot express in adequate terms how I have enjoyed them.

I am really in a transport when I read them. Strange, isn’t it?

Our teacher and Lord was so original and each one of us will have to be original or nothing. I now understand why none of us attempted his life before. It has been reserved for you, this great work. He is evidently with you.

With love and namaskara.

Yours in the Lord,

Vivekananda.

P.S. Socratic dialogues are Plato all over. You are entirely hidden. Morever, the dramatic part is infinitely beautiful. Everybody likes it, here or in the West.

Other Letters on Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita

Girish Chandra Ghosh

Letter, 22 March, 1905

If my humble opinion goes for anything, I not only endorse the opinion of the great Swami (Vivekananda) but add in a loud voice that Kathamrita has been my very existence during my protracted illness for the last three years… You deserve the gratitude of the whole human race to the end of the days.

Swami Ramakrishnananda (Shashi Maharaj), Belur Math,

then of the Madras Math

Letter 27 October, 1904

"… You have left whole humanity in debt by publishing these invaluable pages fraught with the best wisdom of the greatest avatara of God."

N. Ghosh

The Indian Nation, 19 May, 1902:

Ramakrishna Kathamrita by M., Part I is a work of singular value and interest. He has done a kind of work which no Bengali had ever done before, which, so far as we are aware, no native of India has ever done. It has been done only once in history, namely by Boswell. But then the immortal biography is only the life of a scholar and a kindhearted man. This Kathamrita, on the other hand, is the record of the sayings of a Saint. What is the wit or even the worldly wisdom of the great Doctor by the side of the Divine teachings of a genuine devotee. Its value is immense. We say nothing of the sayings themselves - for the character of the teacher and the teaching is well-known. They take us straight to the truth and not through any metaphysical maze. Their style is Biblical in simplicity. What a treasure would it have been to the world if all the sayings of Sri Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, Nanak and Chaitanya could have been thus preserved.

[1] Antepore is a village in Hooghly district, the birthplace of Swami Premananda. Swamiji and many of his brother disciples were at this time staying as guests at the house of Swami Premananda (Baburam).

Introduction

A Brief Life Sketch of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna

Birth of Sri Ramakrishna - father Kshudiram

and mother Chandramani - the primary school

- worship of Raghuvira - company of sadhus

and listening to the Puranas - beholds a

miraculous light - comes down to Calcutta and company of sadhus at Kali Temple in Dakshineswar - sees a miraculous Divine form

- Thakur like one mad - company of sadhus,

Bhairavi Brahmini, Tota Puri and Thakur’s listening to Vedanta in the Kali Temple - practises spiritual disciplines according to the Tantra and the Puranas - Thakur’s talk with the Mother of the Universe - goes on pilgrimage - Thakur’s inner circle - Thakur and his bhaktas

- Thakur and the Brahmo Samaj -

reconciliation of all religions: Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and so on - the women bhaktas of Thakur - his family of bhaktas.

Thakur Sri Ramakrishna was born in the interior village of Kamarpukur in the Hooghly district in a pious brahmin family, on the second lunar day of the bright fortnight of Falgun. The village of Kamarpukur is 4 kosas (about 8 miles) west of Jehanabad (Aram Bag) and 12-13 kosas (about 26 miles) south of Burdwan.

There is a difference of opinion on the date of birth of Sri Ramakrishna -

Ambika Acharya made Thakur’s horoscope

during his illness on the third of Kartik, 1286 B.Y., 1879 A.D. This gives his date of birth as 1756 Shaka, the 10th of Falgun, Wednesday, the second day of the bright fortnight, Purva Bhadrapada Nakshatra. His calculation is -

1756/10/9/59/12.

Kshetra Nath Bhatt’s calculation in 1300 B.Y. is 1754/10/9/0/12. According to this calculation it is 1754 Shaka, the 10th day of Falgun, Wednesday, the second day of the bright fortnight, Purva Bhadrapada - all tally. 1239 B.Y., 20th February, 1833. At this time, there is conjunction of sun, moon and mercury. It is the Aquarius sign. Because of the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus, he would be the chief of a religious sect.

Narayana Jyotirbhushan has made a new horoscope (in the Math). According to his calculation 1242 (B.Y.), 6th day of Falgun, Wednesday; 17 February 1836, 4 a.m., the second day of the bright fortnight of Falgun, conjunction of the three planets, all tally except the 10th of Falgun given by Ambika Acharya. 1757/10/5 /59/28/21.

Thakur was in human body for 51/52 years.

Thakur’s father Sri Kshudiram Chatterji was a man of firm faith and great devotion. His mother Chandramani Devi was the personification of simplicity and kindness. Previously they used to live in a village named

Dere, one and a half kosas (about three miles) from Kamarpukur. Kshudiram did not give evidence in favour of the landlord of the village in a lawsuit. So, he later came and settled with his family in Kamarpukur.

Thakur Sri Ramakrishna’s childhood name was Gadadhar. After learning elementary reading in the primary school, he stayed at home and served the deity of Raghuvira. He himself would pluck flowers and perform puja daily. In school, the arithmetic book by Shuvankara would confuse him.

He could sing of his own with exquisite sweet voice. He could sing almost all the songs he heard in yatras (theatrical performances). He was ever cheerful since his childhood. Everybody in the locality, children, men and women, all loved him.

Holy men frequently visited a guesthouse in the garden of Laha Babus, near Gadadhar’s house. He would meet them there and serve them. When the story tellers read from the Puranas, he would listen to everything with rapt attention. In this way he learnt all the stories of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Srimad Bhagavata.

One day he was passing through a field to a village located near his house. He was eleven then. Thakur himself narrated that he suddenly lost all sense-consciousness on seeing a

miraculous light. People said he had fainted. Thakur had attained bhava-samadhi (a super- conscious state).

After the death of his father, Kshudiram, Thakur came to Calcutta with his elder brother. He was then 17, or 18 years old. In Calcutta, he spent some days at Nathair Bagan, few days at the house of Govinda Chatterji in Jhamapukur where he performed puja. In this connection, he performed puja for sometime in the family of the Mittras of Jhamapukur.

Rani Rasmani dedicated Kali Temple in Dakshineswar, two and a half kosas (about five miles) from Calcutta on 18th of Jaishtha, 1262 B.Y., on the Snan Yatra[1] day, Thursday, 31 May, 1855[2]. Sri Ramakrishna’s elder brother, Pundit Ramakumar, was appointed the first priest of the Kali Temple. Thakur too used to come here often from Calcutta and after some time he was also appointed for the puja work. He was at that time 21/22 years old. His second brother, Rameswar too performed puja in the Kali Temple from time to time. He had two sons Ramalal and Shiva Rama, and a daughter Lakshmi Devi.

As Sri Ramakrishna had been performing the puja for quite sometime, a change came over him. He would remain absorbed and keep sitting beside the image of the Mother.

Soon after his near and dear ones arranged his

marriage. They thought that marriage might change his state. He was married in 1859 to Sarada Mani Devi, the daughter of Ramachandra Mukherji of Jairambati, a village two kosas from Kamarpukur. Thakur was 22/23 years old while the Holy Mother was six then.

After his marriage Sri Ramakrishna returned to the Dakshineswar Kali Temple. Within a few days, there was a sudden change in his state. While worshipping the Kali's image, he began to see wonderful divine visions. He would be performing the arati but the arati was not coming to a close. He would sit down to perform the puja but the puja was not coming to a close. At times, perhaps he would offer flowers on his own head.

At times, he could not carry on the puja; he would roam about like a mad man. Rani Rasmani’s son•in-law, Mathur, however, began to see and serve him as a great man and arranged for Mother Kali’s puja through another brahmin. He gave the responsibility of performing the puja and attending upon Thakur Sri Ramakrishna to Hriday Mukherji, Thakur’s sister’s son.

Afterwards Thakur neither attended to the duties of a priest nor did he enter householder’s life. This marriage was merely in name. Day and night - ‘Mother, Mother’ was on his lips. Now he was like a figure of wood, now moving

about like a mad person. Sometimes he would live like a child, sometimes he would hide himself at the sight of worldly people attached to ‘woman and gold[3]’. But for divine talk, he did not like anything - always uttering, ‘Mother! Mother!’

In the Kali Temple, there was (it is still there) a free kitchen. Sadhus and sannyasis would frequently visit it. Totapuri stayed for eleven months and expounded Vedanta to Thakur. While he would do a part of it, Totapuri observed that Thakur would go into the Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Perhaps it was 1866 A.D. and Bhairavi Brahmini had already come (in 1859 A.D.). She had made Thakur practise several Tantrik exercises. Looking upon him as Sri Chaitanya, she read out to him ‘Sri Charitamrita’ and other Vaishnava holy books. When she saw him listening to Vedanta from Totapuri, Brahmini would warn him and say, ‘Baba, don’t listen to Vedanta. It will dilute your bhava and bhakti.’

Vaishnava Charan, a pundit of the Vaishnava sect, often visited him. It was he who took Thakur to an assembly of Chaitanya’s bhaktas in Calootola. In this assembly, Thakur Sri Ramakrishna experienced the state of God •consciousness and had stepped up and occupied the seat of Sri Chaitanya. Vaishnava Charan was the president of this Chaitanya assembly.

Vaishnava Charan had told Mathur, ‘This madness is not ordinary, it is the madness of love. He is mad for the Lord.’ Vaishnava Charan and the Brahmini had seen Thakur’s state of mahabhava (divine ecstasy). Like Chaitanya Deva, he sometimes passed through the state of super-consciousness (samadhi - like a piece of wood, unmindful of the world around), sometimes in the state of semi- consciousness and sometimes he would come into the state of outer-consciousness.

Thakur would weep calling out, ‘Mother, Mother!’ He would always talk to the Mother and take instructions from Her. He would say, ‘O Mother, I shall hear You and You alone. I do not know the sacred books, nor do I know the pundit. If You explain me, only then I shall believe.’ Thakur knew and would say that He who is Supreme Being Indivisible Sachchidananda is Mother.

Divine Mother had told Thakur, ‘You and I are one. Live with bhakti for the good of mankind. All bhaktas will come. Then you will not have to see the worldly minded people alone. There are many bhaktas, pure and free from worldly desires; they will come.’

In the Temple at the time of arati when bells and cymbals used to ring, Sri Ramakrishna would go to the roof of the Kuthi and cry in a loud voice, ‘O, you bhaktas, who are you? Where are you? Come soon.’

Thakur took his mother Chandramani Devi for another form of the Mother of the Universe and would serve her in the same spirit. When Thakur’s elder brother, Ramakumar, departed for heaven the bereaved mother was stricken with grief. Within three-four years, Thakur called her to the Kali Temple and made her stay near him. Daily he would go to see her, take the dust of her feet and ask about her welfare.

Thakur went on pilgrimage twice. During the first one, he took his mother with him. Rama Chatterji and some of the sons of Mathur accompanied him. At that time, the first railway line was just laid for Kashi - within the period of five, or six years of the change in his spiritual state. At that time, night and day he was in samadhi, or remained overwhelmed and intoxicated in bhava. During the pilgrimage, after visiting Vaidyanath he visited Kashi dham (place of pilgrimage) and Prayag in 1863 A.D.

His second pilgrimage took place five years later, in January 1868, with Mathur Babu and his wife Jagadamba Dasi. This time his sister’s son Hriday was with him. During the journey, he visited Kashi dham, Prayag and Vrindavan. In Kashi, he went into samadhi at the Manikarnika ghat and had divine vision of Lord Vishvanath whispering the name of Tarak Brahman in the ears of the dying ones. He also met and spoke to Trailanga Swami who had

taken the vow of silence. In Mathura at the Dhruva ghat, he saw Sri Krishna in the lap of Vasu Deva; in Sri Vrindavan, he saw Sri Krishna amongst the cows returning in the evening from across the Yamuna - such sports he saw with his spiritual eye. In Nidhuvan, he was overjoyed on meeting and conversing with Mother Ganga who was immersed in the love of Radha.

When Keshab Sen was meditating with his disciples in the garden of Belghar, Sri Ramakrishna came to see him with his nephew Hriday in 1875. Vishwa Nath Upadhyay, the Captain from Nepal, used to visit Sri Ramakrishna during these days. Gopal of Sinti (the Elder Gopal), Mahendra Kaviraj, Kishori of Krishna Nagar and Mahima Charan had met Thakur by this time.

The bhaktas of Thakur’s inner circle began coming to him in 1879-80. When they met Thakur, he had almost passed the state of ‘madness for the Lord’. He was like a child then - calm and ever cheerful. But he was almost always in the state of samadhi - sometimes in jada samadhi (like a piece of wood unmindful of the world around), sometimes in bhava samadhi (immersed in God). When out of samadhi, he would roam about in the world of bhava. He then looked like a five year old child ever uttering ‘Mother! Mother!’

Before the bhaktas of inner circle came, Krishna Kishore, Madhura, Shambhu Mullick, Narayana Shastri, Gauri Pundit of Indesh, Chandra and Achalananda always visited Thakur. The court pundit of the King of Burdwan, Padma Lochan and Dayananda (the founder) of Arya Samaj also met Thakur. Out of the bhaktas of Thakur’s native village, Kamarpukur, and of Seor, Shyam Bazaar etc., many had met him.

Many persons from Brahmo Samaj often came to meet Thakur. Keshab, Vijay, Kali (Basu), Pratap, Shivanath, Amrit, Trailokya, Krishna Bihari, Manilal, Umesh, Hirananda, Bhavani, Nanda Lal and many other Brahmo bhaktas often visited him. Thakur would also go to meet the Brahmos. During the lifetime of Mathur, Thakur went with him to Devendra Nath Tagore’s house and paid a visit to the Adi Brahmo Samaj during the service hours. Later on, he went to see Keshab’s Brahmo temple and Sadharan Samaj during the worship time. He would frequently visit Keshab’s house. How much he would rejoice in the company of

At Kalna, he met Bhagavan Das Baba ji. Seeing Thakur’s state of samadhi, Baba ji said, ‘You are indeed a mahapurusha (great spiritual personality), only you are fit to take the seat of Chaitanya Deva.’

To realize the harmony of all religions, Thakur, on the one hand, practised the disciplines of the Vaishnavas, the Shaktas, the Shaivites and so on. On the other hand, he recited the name of Allah and meditated upon Christ. In the room where he lived, there were pictures of gods and an image of the Buddha. There was also a picture showing Jesus Christ saving Peter from drowning in the water. These pictures can still be seen if you go to that room. English and American devotees can now be seen meditating upon Thakur in this room.

One day he earnestly said to the Mother, ‘O Mother, I shall see how your Christian devotees pray to You. Kindly take me there.’ After a few days, he went to Calcutta and watched the service standing at the entrance to a church. On his return, Thakur said to the bhaktas, “I did not enter the church to sit there for fear of the steward. I said to myself, ‘Maybe he does not then allow me to return to the Kali Temple.’ ”

Thakur had many women bhaktas. He had called Gopal’s mother as Mother and used to call her as ‘Gopal’s mother’. He would look upon all women as incarnations of Bhagavati (Divine Mother) and would worship them as Mother. As long as man cannot see woman as Mother Herself, he cannot have pure love for the Lord. He warned men to guard themselves against women till that stage is reached. So much so that he would forbid the company of even the most devoted woman. He himself said to the Mother, ‘Mother, I will run a knife across my throat if any lustful thought arises in my mind.’

Thakur’s bhaktas are countless. Out of them, some are known while others unknown. It is impossible to name all of them. The names of many of them will be found in ‘Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita’. Those of childhood are many - Ramakrishna, Patu, Tulasi, Shanti, Shashi, Vipin, Hira Lal, Nagendra Mitra, Upendra, Surendra, Suren and so on; and a number of little girls had also seen Thakur. Now they too are his devotees.

After he ended his leela, so many people became his devotees and are still becoming his devotees. In Madras, Srilanka, U.P., Rajaputana, Kumaon, Nepal, Bombay, Punjab and Japan and also in America, England - at all the places the families of bhaktas are scattering and are gradually increasing.

Janmashtami

1310 B.Y., 1903 A.D.

[1] Ceremony of Lord Jagannath’s sallying out in procession for a bath [2] This information is taken from the deed of sale of Rani Rasamani’s Kali Temple: Deed of conveyance, date of purchase of the temple grounds 6 September, 1847; date of registration, 27 August, 1861; price Rs.

2,26,000.00

[3] Lust and greed

Section I

Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar

Chapter One

The Kali Temple and garden

Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar Kali Temple -chandni (porch) and the twelve Shiva temples - brick courtyard and the Vishnu temple - Sri Sri Bhavatarini Mother Kali - Nata Mandir (the concert room) - the store, the pantry, the guest house and the place of sacrifice - the office rooms - Sri Ramakrishna’s room - Nahabat, Bakultala and Panchavati - Jhautala, Beltala and Kuthi - ghat for washing utensils, Gazitala, the main gate and the back gate - Hanspukur, stable, cow house and flower garden - the verandah of Sri Ramakrishna’s room - the ‘Abode of Joy.’

It is Sunday today. The bhaktas are free, so they are coming in numbers to the Kali Temple in Dakshineswar to see the Paramahansa Deva (Sri Ramakrishna). The door is open to all. Thakur freely talks with all the visitors. Sadhus, paramahansas, Hindus, Christians, Brahmos,

Shaktas [1], Vaishnavas [2], men and women - all visit him. Blessed you are Rani Rasmani! It is because of your virtuous merit that such a beautiful temple has come up. Besides, there is such a living image! People are able to come here to meet and worship this great spiritual personality.

The chandni (porch) and the twelve Shiva temples

The Kali Temple is situated about five miles north of Calcutta. It is situated right upon the bank of the Ganga. Landing from the boat and climbing upon the broad staircase, one enters the Kali Temple as one faces east. It is at this very ghat that the Paramahansa Deva takes his bath. Just after the staircase is the chandni. Watchmen of the temple live there. Their cots, mango wood chests and one or two jugs etc. are lying about in that very chandni. When babus (gentlemen) of the neighbourhood come here to take their bath in the Ganga, some of them sit here and gossip as they take a massage of oil. The sadhus, fakirs, and Vaishnavas who come

to take prasad [3]from the guest house, some of

them await the bell of bhoga [4]in this very chandni. At times a Bhairavi (woman worshipper of the Mother) dressed in ochre- clothes and with a trident in her hand is seen seated at this very place. She too would go to the guest house at the right time. The chandni is exactly in the middle of the twelve Shiva temples - out of them six temples are exactly to the north of the chandni, and six exactly to the south. People passing by in boats and seeing the twelve temples from a distance exclaim, ‘That is the temple garden of Rani Rasmani.’

The brick courtyard and the Vishnu temple

There is a cemented brick courtyard to the east of the chandni and the twelve temples. In the middle of the courtyard, there are two temples facing each other. To the north is the temple of Radhakanta. Exactly to its south is the temple of Mother Kali. In the Radhakanta Temple, the idols of Radha and Krishna face west. One enters the temple through a flight of steps. The floor of the temple is paved with marble. In front of the temple, there is a chandelier hanging in the vestibule. It is not in use now; so it is protected by red linen covers. A watchman keeps a vigil. Canvas screens are provided, so that the deities do not feel inconvenience by the sun in the western sky during noon. Passages left open between the rows of the columns of the vestibules are covered by these screens. Towards the southeast corner of the vestibule, there is a pitcher of Ganga water. Near the threshold of the door of the temple is a vessel

containing charanamrita [5]. Bhaktas come bow down before the deities and take some drops of this very charanamrita. Inside the temple are the images of Radha and Krishna on a raised seat. Sri Ramakrishna in the beginning was appointed as the priest of this very temple in

1857-1858.

Sri Sri Bhavatarini Mother Kali

In the southern temple is the beautiful stone image of Kali. The Mother is called Bhavatarini (the saviour of the world). The floor of the

temple is paved with white and black marble. The raised platform is furnished with steps. On the platform there is a silver lotus with a thousand petals. On this lotus is Shiva lying down on His back with His head to the south and feet to the north. The image of Shiva is made of white marble. Upon His breast stands the stone image of this very beautiful three eyed Shyama Kali attired in a Banarasi sari and Her person decorated with jewels of many kinds. On Her lotus feet are nupur (tinkling anklets), gujari, panchem, paijeb, chutaki, red china rose and leaves of bel. The paijeb is used by the women of the West (Punjab and Utter Pradesh). It was put by Mathur Babu at the special desire of Sri Ramakrishna. The Mother’s arms are adorned with bauti (broad bangles), tavij (armlet) etc. made of gold. The lower arm has bala, flowery bangle, and pounche. In the middle arm she has a kada made of a two and a half round sections, tavij and baju. The last is with a hanging pendant attached to it. Round Her neck She wears the golden chek, a necklace made of seven strings of pearls, another necklace of thirty two gold strings, a chain of stars and a golden garland made of human skulls. On her head She wears a crown and her ears are adorned with kanbala, kanpash, gold earrings, chandni (round golden ear) and golden fish. There is a nose ring on her nose with a pearl attached to it. The three-eyed Goddess holds a decapitated human head and a sword in

both Her left hands. Both Her right hands offer the boon of fearlessness. Round Her waist She wears the garland of human arms as well as golden waist-chains of neem and kamar-patta. In the north-east corner of the temple is a unique bed. On it the Mother takes rest. On one side of

the wall hangs a chanvar [6]. Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna fanned the Mother so many times with this chanvar. Upon the platform on a lotus seat there is a silver glass with water in it. Below on the ground are rows of vessels that hold water for Shyama to drink. To the northwest of the lotus seat is a lion made of eight metals, and the image of iguana and a trident towards the east. Towards the southwest of the platform is a she-fox, to the south is a bull made of black stone and to the north-east is a goose. On one of the steps leading to the platform is the image of Narayana installed on a small silver throne. On one side of his is the image of Ramalala, the nick name of Ramachandra, made of eight metals obtained by the Paramahansa Deva from a holy man and also an emblem of Vaneshwar Shiva. There are images of other gods too. The Divine Mother stands with her face to the south. Exactly in front of Her, that is to the south of the platform, is installed a pitcher. After the puja, this

mangal-ghat [7]is dubbed with vermilion, covered with various kinds of flowers and decorated with flower garlands. On one side of the wall is a pitcher made of copper, filled with

water. The Mother would wash Her face. Above in the temple is a canopy, behind the image is hanging a piece of beautiful Benarasi cloth. There are silver columns on all the four sides of the platform. A very expensive canopy spreads over them. It adds to the beauty of the image. The temple is of medium size. Some of the gates of the vestibule are protected by strong doors. The guard sits near one of the doors. Near the threshold is a small a vessel with the holy charanamrita in it. The top of the temple is adorned with nine pinnacles. Four of the pinnacles are in the lowermost line, in the middle also are four and above them there is one pinnacle which is now broken. The Paramahansa Deva had performed puja in this shrine as well as in the shrine of Radhakanta.

The Nata Mandir (the Theatrical Hall)

In front of the Kali’s shrine, that is to the south is a beautiful and spacious Nata Mandir. Over the Nata Mandir are Mahadeva, Nandi and Bhringi (latter two are attendants of Shiva). Before entering the Mother’s temple, Sri Ramakrishna would fold his hands and bow to Sri Mahadeva as though he would be entering the temple after taking His permission. Two rows of very high columns stand north-south of the Nata Mandir with a roof over them. To the east and west of the row of the columns are two portions of the Nata Mandir. At the time of festival worship, especially on the Kali puja

day, yatras (theatrical performances) are performed in the Nata Mandir. It was in the Nata Mandir that Mathur Babu, the son-in-law of Rasmani, carried out dhanyameru (the ceremony of mound of cereal) at the instruction of Sri Ramakrishna. It was here that Thakur Sri Ramakrishna worshipped Bhairavi in the presence of all.

Store, pantry, guest house and place of sacrifice

To the west of the square courtyard are the twelve Shiva temples and on the three other sides are single storeyed rooms. The rooms to the east include the store room, the room for keeping puris (fried bread), the room for the food offerings of Vishnu, the room for food offerings, the room for the food offerings for the Mother, the kitchen for the gods and goddesses and the guesthouse. If the guests and sadhus do not eat in the guesthouse, they have to go to the office of the steward of the temple. On receiving orders of the steward, the sadhus take rations from the store. To the south of the Nata Mandir is the place of sacrifice.

The food prepared for Vishnu’s shrine is vegetarian. The kitchen for the food of Kali’s shrine is different. In front of the kitchen, the maid servants cut fish with big sickles. On Amavasya (the dark night of the month), a goat is sacrificed. The offering of the food is over before noon. In the mean time the beggars, the sadhus and the guests take plates made of sal

leaves from the guesthouse and sit down in rows. The brahmins are allotted a separate corner. The brahmins working here have different seats. The prasad for the steward is sent to his room. The babus of Jaun Bazaar (descendants of Rani Rasmani) stay in the Kuthi when they visit the temple. They have their prasad carried to them in the Kuthi.

Office rooms

In the row of rooms to the south of the courtyard are the office rooms and the residences of the officials. Here the steward and the clerks are always present. And the storekeeper, the maidservants, the men servants, priests, cooks, brahmin cooks, and gate keepers are always found walking in and out. Some of these rooms remain locked. They contain the property of the temple - carpets, tents, etc. Some rooms of this row are utilized as storerooms on the birthday celebrations of the Paramahansa Deva. The cooking for the great festivity is done on the ground lying southwards.

There is a row of single storeyed rooms to the north of the courtyard. Right in middle is the main gate. As in the chandni, here too the gatekeepers keep a watch. Shoes have to be taken off before entering both the places.

Thakur Sri Ramakrishna’s room

Right in the northwest corner of the courtyard, i.e. to the north of the twelve Shiva temples, is

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa Deva’s room. Exactly to the west of the room is a semi- circular verandah. It was from here that Sri Ramakrishna often watched Ganga with his face towards the west. Next to this verandah there is a path. To its west is a flower garden and then the terrace along the side of which flows the pure sweet melodious water of the Ganga, the symbol of all pilgrimages.

Nahabat (the concert room), Bakultala and Panchavati

Right to the north of the Paramahansa Deva’s room is a rectangular verandah. To its north is a garden path. Again to its north is a flower garden. Just beyond it is the Nahabat (the concert room). In the room below lived the revered mother of Sri Ramakrishna and later the

Holy Mother. Next to Nahabat are the Bakultala and the Bakultala ghat. Here the women of the locality take their bath. It was at this very ghat that the venerable mother of the Paramahansa Deva had breathed her last with the lower half

of her body immersed into the holy waters of

the Ganga.

A little north to the Bakultala is Panchavati (a

grove of five trees). It was at the foot of this Panchavati that the Paramahansa Deva practised many religious austerities. And he would often roam about here with his bhaktas. At times, deep at night, he would rise and come here. This grove is a collection of five trees - the bata

(Indian fig), the peepal, the neem, the amalaki and the bel. These were got planted by Thakur under his own care. Coming back from Vrindavan, he scattered here the holy dust of that place. Right to the east of Panchavati, Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna had a thatched hut built and meditated so much upon the Lord and practised so many austerities here. This hut has now been turned into a brick-built room.

In the middle of the Panchavati is a bata tree. Along side is a peepal tree. Both these trees have joined each other and look like one. Being very ancient and having many holes within, this old tree has become the living place of many birds and animals. Below it is a brick-built circular platform with steps. Seated on the northwestern side of this platform, Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna carried out many devotional exercises, and with a yearning he would call upon Bhagavan in the manner a cow cries for its calf. Now across the hallowed seat there has fallen a branch of the peepal tree, comrade of the bata tree. This branch has not completely broken away and continues partially to adhere to the parent tree. It seems that no great man worthy to sit on that platform has yet been born again.

Jhautala, Beltala and Kuthi

Going a little ahead towards north of the Panchavati is a railing made of iron wire. On

the other side of the railing is the Jhautala. There are rows and rows of willow trees. Moving a little east from the Jhautala is the Beltala. Here too the Paramahansa Deva practised so many difficult austerities. Beyond

the Jhautala and the Beltala is a high wall. Just

to the north of it, is the Government Magazine.

Coming out of the main gate of the courtyard and going to the north one sees a two-storeyed Kuthi. Whenever Rani Rasmani and her son-in-

law, Mathur Babu, and others visited the temple they used to put up at this Kuthi. During their lifetime, the Paramahansa Deva used to live in a western room on the ground floor of the Kuthi.

A path from this room leads to the Bakultala

ghat from where a splendid view of Ganga is visible.

Ghat for washing utensils, Gazitala and gates

Going towards the east on the path between the

main gate of the courtyard and the Kuthi, there

is a fine tank with a specially built cemented

ghat. Right to the east of Mother Kali’s temple, this tank has a ghat that is used for washing utensils and a little away from the above path is another ghat. Near this ghat to the side of the path, there is a tree called Gazitala. Going a little farther to the east on this path there is another gate - this is the main exit from the garden. People from Alam Bazaar or Calcutta visit the temple through this gate. People from

Dakshineswar come in through the back gate. The Calcutta people usually enter the Kali Temple from the main gate. There too, a porter keeps a watch. When at midnight, the Paramahansa Deva used to return from Calcutta to the Kali Temple, the porter of this gate would open the lock. The Paramahansa Deva would call the porter to his room and give him puris, sweetmeats and other items of prasad offered to the gods.

Hanspukur, stable, cow house and flower garden

To the east of the Panchavati there is another tank called the Hanspukur (Goose tank). To the northeast corner of the tank are a stable and a cow house. To the east of the cow-house is the back gate. One goes to the village of Dakshineswar through this gate. The priests and the temple-officials who have brought their families and settled in Dakshineswar, they and their sons and daughters use this gate.

There is a pathway running from the southern extremity of the garden to the north up to the Bakultala and the Panchavati along the bank of the Ganga. This path runs with flower plants on both of its sides. And the path that runs east- west from the south of the Kuthi, too, has flower plants on both of its sides. From the Gazitala to the cow house, the stretch of land to the east of the Kuthi and the Hanspukur also has flower plants of different species, fruit-trees and another tank.

Very early in the morning when the eastern sky is taking a red hue, one can hear the sweet sounds of the morning arati and the morning music played on the shahnai. At this time they start plucking the flowers from Mother Kali’s flower garden. On the bank of the Ganga in front of the Panchavati are trees of vilva and the flower plants of fragrant (pagoda flower). Sri Ramakrishna was very fond of tulip, madhavi (myrtle) and gulachi flowers. He brought madhavi creeper from Vrindavan dham and planted it here. On a part of the land that is to the east of the Hanspukur and the Kuthi are champak plants on the bank of the tank. At a little distance are plants of jhumka, hibiscus, roses and kanchan (gold flower). On the hedges grows the aparajita and close to it are jasmine and shafalika flowers. Alongside the western wall of the line of the twelve temples are the white oleander, the red oleander, the rose, the jasmine and the larger jasmine. At places there are thorn apple flowers used for the worship of Shiva. At intervals there is the tulasi (basil) growing on high brick-built platforms. To the south of the Nahabat are larger jasmine, jasmine, gardenia and rose. Not far from the brick-built ghat are padmakarvi (lotus oleander) and the cuckoo-eyed. Near the Paramahansa Deva’s room are a couple of plants of cock spoon and close by are double jasmine, jasmine, gardenia, rose, tulip, white oleander, red oleander, double hibiscus and Chinese hibiscus.

At one time Sri Ramakrishna too used to gather flowers. One day he was plucking the leaves of the bel tree in front of the Panchavati. While plucking leaves of bel tree, a small portion of the bark of the tree came off. Then it seemed to him as if the one that lies within all things had received a severe pain. Thenceforward, he could no longer pluck the bel leaves. On another day, he was walking about to pluck flowers. Suddenly an unknown power made him aware that the various flower plants before him were but so many bouquets - adoring the great image of Shiva - that He was thus being worshipped night and day. Henceforth, he ceased to pluck flowers.

Verandah of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna’s room

There is a verandah running to the east of Sri Ramakrishna’s room. A wing of the verandah faces the courtyard, i.e. to the south. Sri Ramakrishna often sat with bhaktas in this verandah and talked to them about the Lord and sang songs with them of the name of God. The other wing of this eastern verandah faces the north. In this verandah bhaktas would come to him to celebrate his birthday with him and sing hymns with him. Moreover, at times, he would sit and partake of prasad with them here. It was also in this verandah that Keshab Chandra Sen would come to meet him and converse with him for long hours like a disciple. They would enjoy themselves and sit together to partake of popped

rice, coconut, puri, sweets, etc. It was also here that Sri Ramakrishna had gone into samadhi at the sight of Narendra.

The Abode of Joy

The Kali Temple has become the Abode of Joy. Radhakanta, Bhavatarini and Mahadeva are daily worshipped here. Here offerings of worship are made and guests served. On one side stretches afar the sacred view of the Bhagirathi (the Ganga), on the other side there is a unique flower garden with flowers of variegated hues which charm with their overflowing fragrance and beauty. Then there is a god man intoxicated night and day with the love of the Lord. Here is the perennial festival of the ever joyful Mother. Musical notes always emerge from the Nahabat. Once music is played at early dawn at the time of the morning arati. After that at about nine o’clock when the worship starts. Then again at noon when after bhoga arati the Deities retire to rest. It is again played at four o’clock when they rise after their rest and take a wash. After this it is repeated at the time of evening arati. And last of all, at nine in the night, when after the evening offerings of food the deities go to bed, the music is heard from the Nahabat.

Chapter Two

The nectar of Thy story revives the parched soul of man. Poets (men of knowledge) praise it. It

wipes away our sins. To hear it is in itself auspicious. It is pervasive, limitless and beautiful. Only those understand it who have been generous in their past lives. - Srimad Bhagavata, Skandha 10 , Sloka 9 The first meeting - month of February 1882

The Kali Temple in Dakshineswar on the bank of the Ganga. The temple of the Mother Kali. Spring time, the month of February 1882. One day after the birthday of Thakur on Thursday, 23 February, Thakur went for a cruise on a steamer with Keshab Sen and Joseph Cook. It is a few days later. The evening shades are approaching. M. comes in Thakur Sri Ramakrishna’s room. This is his first visit.

He sees a roomful of people, seated motionless and drinking the nectar of his words. Thakur is seated on the bedstead, his face towards the east. He is talking of Hari with a smiling face. The bhaktas are seated on the floor.

When does renunciation of karma take place?

M. looks in and stands speechless. He wonders as if it is Sukadeva talking of the story of the Lord and at that spot have gathered together all the places of pilgrimage. Or is it Sri Chaitanya sitting in the holy land of Puri singing the names and glories of Bhagavan (the beloved Lord) and seated before him are Ramananda, Swarup and other bhaktas! Says Thakur, “When just at the name of Hari or Rama your hair stand on end and tears flow from your eyes, know it

for certain that sandhya [8]and other daily services will not be needed any more. And other daily services are over for you. You have then

gained the right to give up karmas (work). Karmas, indeed, fall off on their own. In that state mere repetition of the name of Rama, or

Hari, or Omkar [9]is enough.” And he adds,

“Sandhya ends in Gayatri [10]and Gayatri in Om.”

M. has come here walking from garden to

garden with Siddhu [11]from Barahnagar. It is Sunday, 26 February, 15th Falgun. It is holiday, so he has come out for a walk. A little earlier he was having a stroll in the garden of Prasanna Bannerji. It was there that Siddhu said, “There is a beautiful garden on the bank of the Ganga. Will you like to see it? A paramahansa lives there.”

Entering the garden through the main gate, M. and Siddhu came direct to Sri Ramakrishna’s room. M. stands speechless as he beholds. He thinks, “How charming is this place! How charming is this man! How sweet is his talk! I don’t feel like leaving this place!” After a while he says to himself, “But let me once see where I have come! I will then come back and sit here.”

As he comes out of the room with Siddhu, the

sweet sound of arati [12]starts. Cymbals, bells and drums all begin to sound together. From the southern side of the garden musical notes emerge from the Nahabat. Floating over the bosom of the Bhagirathi (Ganga), the musical notes begin to merge somewhere far far away. The breeze of the spring is gentle and fragrant with the sweet odour of many a flower. Moonlight starts spreading. It seems as if preparations for the arati of deities are afoot all around. Witnessing arati in the twelve Shiva temples and in the temples of Radhakanta and

Both of them wend their way through the grand brick quadrangle, as they emerge talking out of Bhavatarini temple and again reach in front of Sri Ramakrishna’s room. Now they find that the door of the room is closed.

The incense has been burnt a little while before. M. is educated in English ways, he cannot enter the room all at once. Atthe door stands Vrinde (the maidservant). Asks M., “I say, is the sadhu maharaj (holy man) in the room now?”

Vrinde — Yes, he is inside the room.

M. — How long has he been here?

Vrinde — Oh! many many years.

M. — Well, does he read many books?

Vrinde — Oh dear, books or such like that! They are all on his tongue.

M. is fresh from college. He is all the more surprised to hear that Thakur Sri Ramakrishna does not read books at all.

M. — Well, perhaps he will now perform

sandhya! Can we enter the room? Will you please tell him about us?

Vrinde — Why, go in my children. Go inside and sit in the room.

Thereupon they enter the room and see that no other person is there. Thakur Sri Ramakrishna is seated alone on the bedstead in the room. Incense is burning in the room and all the doors are closed. M. folds his hands to pay his obeisance as he enters the room. At the bidding of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna, M. and Siddhu take their seats on the floor. Thakur asks, “Where do you live? What do you do? What has brought you to Barahnagar?” etc. M. answers all his queries but he notices that in the course of conversation, Thakur lets his mind go to some other object on which he is meditating. Later, he

heard that this is called bhava [13]. It is like a man sitting with a fishing rod in his hand to catch a fish. The fish comes and begins to bite at the bait. The float trembles. The man is now all attention. He grasps the rod and looks at the float with a concentrated mind. He talks to no one. Sri Ramakrishna’s state is exactly like this. Later, he hears and sees that Thakur goes into this state after sandhya (evening). At times, he loses all external consciousness.

M. — You would now perform your sandhya. In that case, we may leave.

Sri Ramakrishna (in bhava) — No. Sandhya! No, it is not that.

And after some conversation, M. offers obeisance and takes his leave.

Says Thakur, “Come again.”

On his way back, M. says to himself, “Who may this god man be! How is that my soul longs to see him again! Can a man be great without reading books? What a wonder that I feel like visiting him again! He too has said, ‘Come again.’ I shall come tomorrow or day after in the morning.”

Chapter Three

Akanda mandalakaram vyaptam yen characharam,

Tatpadam darshitam yen tasmaiya Sri Guruve namah.

- Vishveshwara Tantra 2

[Salutations to the guru who has made it possible to realize Him who pervades this entire universe of movable and immovable objects.]

Second meeting and conversation between the Guru and the disciple

The second meeting. Eight o’clock in the morning. Thakur is going to have his shave. The winter cold is still lingering, so he wears a moleskin shawl. The shawl is hemmed with muslin. On seeing M., says he, “So you have come! Good, take your seat here.”

He says this in the south-eastern verandah. The barber is there. Thakur sits in the same verandah for his shave and talks to M. in between. He wears the shawl on his body in the same manner with slippers on his feet. His face is smiling. He stammers a little while talking.

Sri Ramakrishna (to M.) —Well, where do you live?

M. — In Calcutta, sir.

Sri Ramakrishna — To whom have you come here?

M. — I came here in Barahnagar to visit my

elder sister, at Ishan Kaviraj’s house.

Keshab Chandra - Sri Ramakrishna weeps before the Mother

Sri Ramakrishna — Well, how is Keshab doing at present? He was seriously ill.

M. — I too heard the same, perhaps he is well

now.

Sri Ramakrishna — I made a vow to offer a green coconut and sugar to the Divine Mother for Keshab’s recovery. I would sometimes wake up at midnight and cry before the Mother, saying, ‘O Mother, grant that Keshab may get well. If Keshab does not live, whom shall I talk to when I go to Calcutta?’ That is why I vowed to offer green coconut and sugar.

“I say, one Mr. Cook was here. Does he lecture? Keshab took me on board a steamer. Mr. Cook was there too.”

M. — Yes, I did hear of him but have not attended any of his lectures. I do not know much about him.

Household and the duty of a father

Sri Ramakrishna — Pratap’s brother came here and stayed for some days. He had no work to do. He said that he would stay here. He had left his wife, son and daughter in the care of his father-in-law. He has many children. I took him to task. Just see, he has so many children! Should they be fed and looked after by others of the locality! He is not ashamed that somebody else should take care of his family and that they should be a burden to his father-in-law. I rated him rather severely and told him to look for work. It was then that he went away from here.

Chapter Four

Ajnana timirandhaysa jnananjan shalakaya,

Chakshu runmilitam yen tasmai Sri Guruve namah.

- Vishveshwar Tantra 3

[Salutations to the Guru who with the collyrium stick of knowledge has opened the eyes of one blinded by the disease of ignorance.]

M. is reprimanded - his egotism is crushed

Sri Ramakrishna (to M.) — Are you married?

M.

— Yes, sir.

Sri Ramakrishna (startled) — I say,

Ramalal [14]! Ah me! He has already taken a

wife.

M. gets confused and sits speechless, hanging

down his head like one guilty of a serious offence. He says to himself, “Is marrying so bad?” Thakur further asks, “Have you any

children?”

M. can hear the beating of his own heart. Says

he in fear, “Yes sir, I have children.” Thakur rebukes M. all the more saying, “Alas, you have children too!” M. is stunned by this blow.

His egotism is getting crushed. After a while, Thakur Sri Ramakrishna looks at him kindly and speaks affectionately, ‘‘See, you have some good signs. I can know it by looking at one’s eyes and forehead.”

“Well, what kind of wife you have? Is she vidya

shakti [15], or avidya shakti 2?”

What is jnana? Image worship

M. — Sir, she is good but ajnani (ignorant).

Sri Ramakrishna (sharply) — And you are jnani (wise)!

What is jnana and what is ajnana, M. does not know. Till now, he only knows that a jnani is he

who has received education and can read books. This false notion was afterwards taken away. Then he learnt that to know the Lord is jnana and not to know Him is ajnana. Thakur said, “Are you jnani?” M.’s egotism again receives a hard blow.

Sri Ramakrishna — Well, do you believe in God with form or formless God?

M. (confused, to himself) “Is it possible to have faith in the formless God and believing at the same time that He is with form? How can it be that while believing God to be with form, one can think of Him as formless. Can the two contradictory states coexist in the same substance? Can white things like milk be also black?

M. — I only like the formless God.

Sri Ramakrishna — That is good. Having faith in either of the two (aspects) is enough. To think of God as formless is quite right. Even so, don’t think that only this idea is true and all others are false. Know this that the formless God is true and so is God- with form. You must hold on to that what you believe.

Hearing again and again that both the ideas are true, M. is speechless. Never has he read such a thing in any of his books.

His egotism is crushed the third time but it is not yet completely knocked out. So, he

advances with his reasoning a little further.

M. — Sir, well, let one believe that God is with form but surely He is not an earthen image.

Sri Ramakrishna -— My dear sir, why earthen?

Itisthe image of Spirit!

M. does not understand the significance of the ‘image of the Spirit’. He says, “Well, should one not make it clear to those who worship the image of clay that there is no Lord in an earthen image and that while worshipping they should only keep God in view and not worship the clay.”

Lecture and Thakur Sri Ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna (sharply) — It is fashionable for Calcutta people to lecture and bring others to light. How to bring light to themselves, they do not know. Who are you to teach others? He who is the Lord of the universe will Himself teach. He who has made this universe, the moon, the sun, the seasons, the human beings and the beasts, He who has made provision of food for men and beasts, and parents to rear and love will Himself teach. He has made this much, will He not arrange it too? If there is a need to teach, God Himself will surely make them understand. And then, God is antaryamin (knower of heart within). If there is some mistake in worshipping the clay image, does He not know that He Himself is being called upon? He is pleased

with this very worship. Why should you have headache over it? Seek that you may yourself have jnana and develop bhakti.

This time M.’s egotism is completely crushed.

He says to himself, “What he says is indeed true. What need have I go about preaching to others? Have I myself known the Lord? Nor have I developed bhakti for Him. ‘Bidding my friend Shankra to lie down on my bed when I have nowhere to lie upon.’ Knowing nothing, listening to none and yet going out to preach to others! It would indeed be shameful, a great folly. Is this Mathematics, or History, or Literature that you can teach to others? It is the science of the Lord. Whatever he (Thakur) is saying s fully appeals to me.

This was M.’s first and last attempt to argue with Thakur.

Sri Ramakrishna — You were talking of worshipping the clay images. Even if made of clay, these need to be worshipped. The Lord Himself has provided various forms of worship. He who is the Lord of the universe has made all this - to suit men in different stages of life. The mother so arranges the food for her children that everyone gets, what agrees with him.

“Say, a mother has five children and she has fish to cook. She makes different dishes out of it and gives each one of her children what suits

him. Pulao [16]with fish for one; fish with sour

tamarind for another; charchari [17]of fish yet

for another, and fried fish still for another - she prepares exactly what they like, exactly what agrees with their stomach. Understand?

M. — Yes, sir.

Chapter Five

Sansararnavaghore yahe karnadharswarupakah,

Namostu Ramakrishnaye tasmai Sri Gurve namah.

[Salutations to Sri Ramakrishna, salutations to that Guru who is the pilot to take across the deep sea of the world.]

How to gain bhakti?

M. — How may one fix one’s mind on the Lord?

Sri Ramakrishna — One must chant without ceasing the name of the Lord and His glories. And keep company of the holy - one must frequently go to God’s bhaktas, or sadhus. One’s mind does not fix itself on the Lord while living night and day in the midst of worldly activities and family life. Hence, one must go into solitude now and then to meditate on God. In the first stage it is very hard to fix the mind on the Lord unless one frequently goes into solitude.

“When the plant is young, it needs a hedge around it. Without the hedge goats and cows eat it up.

“The mind, the solitary corner and the forest are the places where you will meditate. And you will always have good thoughts in your mind. The Lord alone is real, i.e. the eternal substance, and all else is unreal, i.e. transitory. Discriminating thus, you will shake off attachment to the perishable things of the world.”

M. (humbly) — How to live in the household?

Sannyasa in the household - the way - sadhana in solitude

Sri Ramakrishna — You will do all your duties but keep your mind fixed on God. Wife, son, father and mother - you will live with them all and serve them as if they are your own. But you will know in your heart that they are really not yours.

“A rich man’s maidservant attends to all her duties but her mind is always set upon her own home in the village. Besides, she nurses her master’s children as if they were her own. She calls out: ‘My Rama, my Hari,’ but all the while she knows fully well that they are not hers.

“The tortoise moves about in water but do you know where its mind abides? On the bank of the

river, on the dry land, where its eggs are laid. You will attend to all your worldly work but take care that your mind rests on the Lord.

“If you enter the world (household) before you have acquired bhakti for the Lord, surely you will get entangled more and more. Misfortune, grief and ills of the world will make you lose your balance of mind. And the more you think of worldly matters, the more will come the attachment.

“Rub your hands with oil before you break the jack-fruit, otherwise its milky exudation will stick to your hands. First get the oil of bhakti for the Lord and then engage into the affairs of the world (household).

“But to acquire bhakti, solitude is needed. If you want to make butter, the curds have to be set in some lonely corner. The curds will not set if disturbed. Then you have to sit in a quiet place, giving up all other work and churn the curds. Only then you can get butter.

“Besides, by giving your mind to God in solitude, you gain jnana (spiritual wisdom), vairagya (dispassion) and bhakti. But if you give the same mind to the world, it becomes vulgar. In the world there is nothing but the

thoughts of ‘woman and gold [18]’.

“The world is like water and the mind like milk. If the milk is poured in water, it will get mixed with water and become one. You will not be

able to get pure milk, howsoever much you may try. But if the milk is turned into curds and butter made out of it, it will swim over water when placed in it. So, first get the butter of jnana and bhakti by practising sadhana (spiritual disciplines) in a solitary place. This butter when put in the water of the world will not mix with it. It will swim on its surface.

“Along with this the practice of discrimination is also needed. ‘Woman and gold’ are transitory, the Lord is the only reality. What does money give? It gives us food (rice and dal), clothes and a place to live in - thus far, no further. But it does not help attain Bhagavan. So money cannot be the end of life. This is the process of discrimination. Do you see this?”

Sri Ramakrishna — Yes, discrimination. Just think, what is there in money or in a beautiful body? Think over it, in the body of a beautiful woman also there are mere bones, flesh, fat, urine and excreta - all these. Why does a man give his mind to such a thing and lose sight of the Lord? Why does he forget the Lord?

How to see the Lord?

M.

— Sir, can the Lord be seen?

Sri Ramakrishna — Yes. There is no doubt

about it. Going into solitude from time to time, chanting His name and His attributes, practising discrimination - these are the means one should

employ.

M. — What state of mind leads to God-vision?

Sri Ramakrishna -— Cry with a very yearning heart and you shall see God. People shed pitcherfuls of tears for wife and children, they weep streams of tears for money. But who cries for the Lord? ‘Call out to God with a longing and yearning heart.’ Saying this Thakur sings a song -

Call out with a yearning, O mind! I’ll see, how will Mother Shyama hold Herself from you?

How will Shyama stay away? How can Kali remain away?

O mind, if you are within yourself take hibiscus flowers and bel leaves.

Smear them with sandal paste of bhakti, and make a handful offering of them at Her feet.

“Yearning in the heart brings the dawn. Thereafter, the sun is visible. After longing comes God-vision.

“You can see God if you have these three attachments put together: The attachment of a worldly man to the things of the world, the

attachment of a mother to her child, and the attachment of a chaste wife to her husband. If these three attachments are put altogether (for God) in a man, the power of these attachments makes one see God.

“The real thing is that you must love the Lord the way a mother loves her son, a chaste wife her husband, and a worldly man the things of the world. When you have the combined intensity of love of all these three persons for the Lord and you put together all these three attachments, you will see Him.

“One should call upon God with a yearning heart.

“The kitten knows only to cry mew, mew to its mother. Wherever the mother keeps it, it remains there - now in the kitchen, now on the floor, and now on the bed. When it feels hurt, it simply cries ‘mew,’ ‘mew’ and knows nothing else. Wherever the mother may be, it comes on hearing its mew, mew.’ ”

Chapter Six

Sarvabhutastham atmanam sarvabhutani cha atmani,

Ikshati yogayuktatma sarvatra samadarshanah.

- (Gita 6:29)

[His mind being harmonized by yoga, he sees himself in all beings and all beings in himself; he sees the same in all.]

Third meeting - Narendra Nath, Bhavanath and M.

M. was then putting up at his sister’s house in

Barahnagar. Ever since he saw Sri Ramakrishna, M. thought of him every moment — as if he always has before his eyes the same joyful image and listening to his words, sweet as nectar. He says to himself: How has this poor brahmin ascertained all these deep truths? M. has never seen earlier anybody explaining so clearly all those things. He thinks day and night when will he go to him and meet him again.

Not long after it is Sunday, 5 March. He reaches the garden of Dakshineswar with Nepal Babu of Barahnagar at four o’clock. He finds Sri Ramakrishna in the same room, seated on the smaller bedstead. The room is filled with bhaktas. It is Sunday, so the bhaktas have time to see him. M. does not yet know any of them. He takes a seat aside in the assemblage and observes that Thakur is talking to the bhaktas with a smiling face.

Addressing a young man of nineteen years old, Thakur looks at him and joyfully talks on a number of matters. The young man is Narendra (Vivekananda). He is a college student and often visits the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. His words are all full of spirit. His eyes are bright and the looks of a bhakta.

M. sees that the subject of the talk is the

conduct of worldly men attached to the pleasures of the world; people who ridicule those who seek the Lord and religion. And how many wicked people there are in the world and how to deal with them, such is the topic of

conversation.

Sri Ramakrishna (to Narendra) — What do you say, Narendra? Worldly men say all sort of things. But see, when the elephant wends its way, so many animals bark and make such other noises from behind. But the elephant does not even look at them. If someone condemns you, what will you think of him?

Narendra — I shall think that the dogs are barking.

Sri Ramakrishna (smiling) — No, my child, you mustn’t go that far. Know that the Lord lives in all things. Even so, you must mix with the good and keep distance from the bad even while living with them. Narayana (God) is present even in a tiger but surely you cannot hug him for that reason. (Laughter.) If you say that the tiger is also Narayana, why should I run away? To this, the answer is - he who says, ‘Run away’ is also Narayana. Why should you not listen to him?

“Listen to a story -

“In a certain forest lived a sadhu. He had a number of disciples. One day he taught them saying, ‘Narayana is in all things. Knowing this you will offer namaskar to all.’ One day a disciple went out to collect firewood for homa (sacrificial fire). Suddenly, there was a shout, ‘Run, run away wherever you may be - a mad elephant is rushing out.’ Everyone ran away except this disciple. He reasoned, ‘There is

Narayana in elephant too, why should I then run away?’ Thinking thus, he kept standing there. Offering namaskar to the elephant (as the Lord), he started offering prayers. The mahut (driver of the elephant), on the other hand, shouted, ‘Run away, run away.’ Still the disciple did not move. At last, the elephant came and seized him with his trunk, threw him aside and went away. The disciple stunned, scratched and torn, lay unconscious.

“Hearing this, his guru and other disciples carried him to the ashrama and gave him medicines. After sometime when he came to himself, one of them asked him, ‘Why did you not move away even when you heard that an elephant was coming?’ He answered, ‘Because gurudeva told us that Narayana Himself is present in all human beings and other living creatures. Seeing the elephant Narayana coming I did not, therefore, quit the spot.’ At this the guru said, ‘My son, indeed, it is true that the elephant Narayana was coming but my child, Mahut Narayana (the driver God) had warned you. If everybody is Narayana, why did you not listen to the latter? You should have paid heed to the Mahut Narayana.’

“The scriptures say, ‘Apo Narayana (water is God).’ But some water is used for divine service while some of it is used only for washing the face, mouth and hands, and also utensils or clothes, but the latter cannot be used for

drinking or divine service. Similarly, Narayana

is in the hearts of all holy men as well as unholy

men, bhaktas and non-bhaktas. But one cannot have dealings with unholy, non-bhaktas and bad people. One cannot be close to them. With some one may only have nodding acquaintance while with others, even that is not possible. One must live apart from such people.”

A Particular Bhakta — Sir, when a bad person

comes to harm us or actually does so, should we do nothing then?

The household and tamoguna

Sri Ramakrishna — To live in the world and save oneself from the hands of bad people, one should make a show of tamoguna (the spirit of resisting evil). But it will not be right to harm anyone thinking that he may harm you.

“A cowboy used to graze his cattle in a field. In that field was a terrible venomous serpent. Everybody was very cautious because of the danger of the reptile. One day a brahmachari was passing through that field. The cowboys ran up to him and said, ‘Holy man, please don’t go this way. There is a terrible venomous snake there.’ The brahmachari said, ‘Child, never mind. I am not afraid of it. I know a mantra (a spell to ward off this danger).’ Saying so, the brahmachari moved towards that direction. No cowboy accompanied him out of fear. And here

came the snake raising its hood moving swiftly. But as it came near, the brahmachari muttered a mantra and lo! the snake fell at his feet like an earthworm. ‘Well,’ said the brahmachari, ‘Why do you go about harming others? Come, I’ll give you a mantra. By repeating this mantra you will develop bhakti for Bhagavan, you will attain Him and your desire to harm others will leave you.’ Saying so, he gave the mantra to the snake. Having received the mantra, the snake bowed before the guru and asked, ‘Sir, what sadhana (spiritual practice) should I carry out, please tell me this.’ The guru said, ‘Repeat this mantra and also don’t harm anybody. I shall come again,’ said the brahmachari before leaving.

“Some days passed thus. The cowboys noticed that now the snake did not bite. Even when they struck it with stones, it did not feel angry. It had become like an earthworm. One day a cowboy went near it and catching hold of its tail whirled it round and round and dashed it several times against the ground. The snake vomited blood and became unconscious. It could not move. The cowboys thought that it was dead. So they left the place.

‘‘Late at night, the snake regained conscious- ness. Slowly it dragged itself into its hole with great difficulty. Its body broke and it had no strength to move. After a few days when its body was reduced to a mere skeleton, it would come out of its hole once in the night to look for

food; for fear (of the boys) it did not come out during the day. After its initiation with the mantra it ceased to harm anybody. It lived as well as it could on leaves and fruits fallen on the ground from the trees.

‘‘Almost after a year the brahmachari came that way again. As he reached the spot, he looked about for the snake. The cowboys said that it was dead. But the brahmachari found it hard to believe. He knew that the snake had taken the mantra and so the death was out of question before it has seen God. So he made a search and called out for it in the same direction by the name he had given it. Hearing the voice of its guru, the snake came out of its hole and bowed down reverently before him. The brahmachari asked, ‘How are you?’ The snake replied, ‘I am quite well, sir.’ The brahmachari asked, ‘But why are you so weak?’ The snake said, ‘Holy sir! You had asked me not to harm anybody. So I live on leaves and fruits. Perhaps this is the reason why I have grown weak.’ The snake had developed the quality of sattva (the quality leading one Godward), you see. That’s why it did not get angry with anyone. It had forgotten that the cowboys had tried to kill it. The brahmachari said, ‘Your food alone could not have brought you to this pass. Surely there is something else. Just think over it.’ The snake then recalled that the cowboys had once whirled it round and round and dashed it against the ground. So it said, ‘Holy sir! Now I see it all.

The cowboys one day threw me violently on the ground. They are ignorant. They do not know what change has come over my mind. How could they know that I was not going to bite anybody or do any harm?’ The brahmachari said, ‘Fie! You are so stupid that you don’t even know how to save yourself. What I forbade you was to bite any creature. I didn’t ask you not to hiss at anybody. Why did you not frighten them away by hissing?’

“One should hiss to bad persons to frighten them away, so that they may not harm you later on. One must not inject poison into them and injure them.”

Are all men equal? Their natures differ

“In the Lord’s creation there are different types of creatures and plants. Amongst the animals, there are bad as well as good ones. There are beasts like tigers who kill others. Amongst the trees, some bring forth fruit sweet like nectar, while the others yield poisonous fruit. In the same way, there are good men and bad men;

holy as well as unholy;

world and then bhaktas also.

“People can be divided into four classes - worldly people bound to the world, seekers after liberation, the liberated, and the ever-free.

“The ever-free, like Narada and others - they are those who abide in the world for the good of

men attached to the

mankind, to teach truth to others.

“The bound souls - they are attached to worldly objects. They forget God and never give a thought to Him.

“The seekers after liberation - they try to get liberated. But only some of them attain liberation, the others cannot.

“The liberated ones - they are not attached to ‘woman and gold’, for example sadhus and mahatmas (great spiritual personalities). In their mind there is no attachment for the worldly things. They always meditate on the lotus feet

of Hari [19].

“Suppose a net is cast into a tank. Some of the fish are too clever never to be caught in the net. They can be likened to the ever-free ones. However, most of the fish get caught in the net. Of these, some try to escape. They are like the seekers after liberation. However, not all the fish can escape - only a few are able to leap out of the net. The boys then shout: Look here! A big fish has escaped. But most of the fish caught in the net cannot escape - they don’t even try to do so. And what is more, they hold the net with the mouth and lie quietly hiding themselves in the mud of the tank. They think, ‘We are quite safe now; there is no danger.’ But they do not know that the fisherman would haul them up with a jerk and throw them out on the river bank. They may indeed be compared to worldly men.”

Worldly men - bound in fetters

“Worldly men remain bound to ‘woman and gold’ of the world. They are bound hand and foot. And they think that they can find happiness only in ‘woman and gold’ of the world and feel secure in it. They know not that they will die in that alone. When a worldly man is on his deathbed, his wife says to him, ‘You are departing. What have you done for me?’ Besides, maya is such that on seeing a lamp burning for long the bound man says, ‘Oil will get consumed, lower the wick.’ And here he is lying on the deathbed!

“The worldly man does not think of the Lord. If he has leisure, even then he indulges either in empty talk or engages himself in useless activities. Upon being asked he says, ‘I am not able to sit idle, so I am setting a hedge.’ Perhaps when the time hangs heavy on him, he starts playing cards.” (All laugh.)

Chapter Seven

Yo mam ajam anadim cha vetti lokamaheshvaram,

Asammudhah sa martyeshu sarvapapaih pra- muchyate.

- Gita 10:3

[He who knows Me as unborn and beginningless, and the great Lord of the worlds,

he is no more deluded amongst mortals and freed from all sins.]

The way - faith

A Bhakta — Sir, is there no way out for such a worldly man?

Sri Ramakrishna — Certainly there is a way. Now and then one must seek the company of holy men and at times one should go to meditate upon God in solitude. And one should practise discrimination and pray to God: ‘Grant me bhakti and faith.’

“Once you acquire faith, your work is done. There is nothing higher than faith.

(To Kedar) “You have heard of the power of faith! The Purana says that Ramachandra, the Perfect Brahman and Narayana, had to build a bridge to reach Lanka. But Hanuman by dint of his faith in the name of Rama jumped across the sea. He had no need for a bridge. (All laugh.)

“Vibhishana wrote the name of Rama on a leaf and tied it within the folds of the cloth of a man who wanted to cross the sea. Vibhishana said to him, ‘Fear not. Have faith and walk across the sea. But mind you, as soon as you lose your faith you will drown.’ This man was walking nicely on the sea till he was seized with an intense desire to see just once what was there in the folds of his cloth. He untied the folds of his cloth and saw that it was just the name of Rama

written on the leaf. Then he said to himself, ‘What! Just the name of Rama written thereon!’ And on the instant with the loss of faith, he went under the water.

“One who has faith in the Lord can be redeemed of great sins no matter he may have committed the vilest sins - killed a cow, a brahmin or a woman. Let him only say, ‘I shall not do so again,’ he need not fear anything.”

Saying so, Thakur sings.

The vilest sin and the great importance of Name

Mother, If I die with the Name of Durga on my lips,

I shall see, O Shankari, how You shall not redeem me?

If I kill the cow, or a brahmin, or destroy the child in the womb;

If I indulge in drinking wine and the like, killing woman,

For all these sins I care not the least,

As I can get at the feet of Brahman in a moment.

Narendra - the Homa bird

“You all see this boy. He is so different here. When a naughty boy is in the presence of his father, he behaves as if there is a goblin in front. But when he plays in the chandni, he is quite different. A boy like this belongs to the class of

the ever-perfect. They never get attached to the world. When they get a little older, they feel an awakening within the heart and move Godward at once. They come to the world to teach mankind. They have no love for things of the world. Their mind never goes towards ‘woman and gold’.

“There is a mention of a bird called Homa in the Vedas. It lives high above in the sky. There in the sky itself it brings forth its egg. As soon as the egg is brought forth, it begins to fall. But it is so high that the egg goes on falling for days. During the fall it breaks and then the young bird coming out of it goes on falling. While it is going down, its eyes and wings open out. Just as it opens its eyes it sees that it is falling and shall soon be smashed on touching the earth. Then it suddenly shoots upward towards its mother and attains a great height.”

Narendra rises and leaves.

Kedar, Pranakrishna, M. and many others are in the room.

Sri Ramakrishna — You see, Narendra excels in everything - singing, playing on musical instruments, reading and writing. The other day he had a discussion with Kedar. He just chopped off Kedar’s argument. (Thakur and all others laugh.) (To M.) Is there a book in English on reasoning?

M. — Yes, sir. It is called ‘Logic’ in English.

Sri Ramakrishna — Well, give me some idea of it.

M. now finds himself in a difficult situation. Says he, “One part of logic is reasoning from the general proposition to a particular. For example: All men will die. Pundits are men. So pundits will also die.

“Another division deals with reasoning from a particular illustration, or an event to a general proposition. Such as:

This crow is black,

That crow is black,

(And so) all the crows I see are black.

Hence, all crows are black.

“But to arrive at a conclusion in such a way is open to fallacy, for it is possible that you may find a white crow somewhere while looking for it. An another illustration: When there is rain, there was a cloud or still it is there. So the general proposition is that the rain comes from the cloud. Yet another illustration: This man has thirty two teeth. That man also has the same number. And then, everybody we see has thirty two teeth. Thus all men have thirty two teeth.

“So there are such general propositions in the English Logic.”

Sri Ramakrishna just heard it all. As he was

listening, his mind went elsewhere. So, there was no further talk on this subject.

Chapter Eight

Shrutivipratipanna te yada sthasyati nishchala.

Samadhav achala buddhih tada yogam avapsyasi.

- Gita 2: 53

[When your intellect tossed about by the conflict of opinions has become poised and firmly fixed in equilibrium; then you shall get into yoga.]

In samadhi

The meeting ended. The bhaktas are walking about here and there. M. too is walking in the Panchavati and other places. It is about five o’clock. Coming back after some time to Sri Ramakrishna’s room he comes upon a strange sight in the small verandah, north of the room.

Sri Ramakrishna is standing still. Narendra is singing a hymn and bhaktas are standing there. M. is charmed to hear the song. Never and nowhere has he heard such a sweet voice except that of Thakur. As he looks at Thakur, he becomes speechless with wonder. Thakur is standing motionless, his eyes move not; it is difficult to say whether he is breathing or not. When asked, a bhakta tells him that it is known as samadhi (divine ecstasy). M. had never seen or heard anything like this. Speechless, he says to himself: Is it possible that the thought of Bhagavan can make one lose so much of outer- consciousness? How great must be one’s bhakti and faith who is put into such a state! The song

is as follows:

Meditate you upon Hari (the Lord), O my mind! He is the essence of the spirit. He is free from all impurity!

Without equal is His glory, beautiful is His shape, how very beloved He is in the hearts of His bhaktas!

Behold, His beauty is enhanced by fresh manifestations of love! It throws into shade the effulgence of a million moons!

Verily, the lightning flashes out of His glorious beauty! His blessed vision causes hairs to stand on end.

Sri Ramakrishna is deeply touched when this line of the hymn is chanted. The hairs on his body stand on end. His eyes are bedewed with tears of joy. Now and then He smiles, it appears on seeing something. One cannot say what a vision of unequal beauty he is enjoying which puts into shade the effulgence of a million moons! Is this called the vision of the conscious form of Bhagavan? What must be the intensity of the spiritual discipline and austerities, how much bhakti and faith must be there which can bring about such a vision! The song goes on -

Worship His holy feet on the lotus of your heart!

Gaze you upon the matchless beauty of that beloved form. Now that the mind enjoys peace and the eyes are filled with divine love.

That bewitching smile once more! His body becomes motionless in the same manner; eyes fixed! But it seems as if he is beholding some strange vision! And having seen this wonderful vision, he swims in supreme joy.

Now the song comes to an end. Narendra sang:

Inspired with love divine be you immersed, O my mind, in the sweetness of Him who is the fountain of Absolute Intelligence and Bliss.

(O! the joy of the Supreme Consciousness, the joy of love.)

Carrying with him this unique picture of samadhi and the bliss of love in his heart, M. wends his way back home. The heart intoxicating sweet music bubbles up from time to time in his heart -

Inspired with Love divine be you immersed in the fountain of His love. (Be intoxicated in the love of Hari.)

Chapter Nine

Yam labdhva chaparam manyate nadhikah tatah,

Yasmin sthito na dukhena guruna api vichalyate.

- Gita 6:22

[And having gained which, he thinks that there is no greater gain than that, wherein established he is not shaken even by the heaviest affliction.]

Fourth visit - merry making with Narendra, Bhavanath and others

The next day (6 March) is also a holiday. M. has come again at three o’clock in the afternoon. Thakur Sri Ramakrishna is seated in the same aforesaid room. A mat is spread on the floor. Narendra, Bhavanath and two other bhaktas are seated there. Some are young men,

nineteen or twenty years old. Thakur is sitting on the smaller bedstead and with a smile playing on his face is conversing merrily with the boys.

Seeing M. enter the room, Thakur laughs loudly and says suddenly to the boys, “Look, he is here again!” As he says so he laughs and all join him. M. comes in, salutes him by prostrating himself on the ground and takes a seat. Previously, he had been saluting Thakur while standing with folded hands, after the manner of English educated persons. But today he has learnt to salute by lying down at his feet. As he takes his seat, Sri Ramakrishna tells Narendra and other disciples what has made him laugh.

“Listen, some opium was given to a peacock at four o’clock in the afternoon. Next day the same peacock arrived punctually at four in the afternoon. It has become an addict of opium, so it came punctually for a dose of opium.” (All laugh.)

M. says to himself, “He is right. I go back home

but my mind, day and night, abides in him alone thinking - when shall I see him, when shall I see him! It seems as if somebody has pulled me to this place. I cannot go anywhere else even if I want to, I have to come here.” M. thinks in this way while Thakur amuses himself with the boys as if they are of his age. Peels of laughter begin to rise as though it is a mart of joy.

M. is speechless as he is looking at this unique

character. Says he to himself, “Is he the same person whom I saw yesterday in samadhi and in the joy of divine love never seen before? Is he

the same man behaving like an ordinary person today? Is it he who on my first visit scolded me while teaching me? Didn’t he tell me that God with form and the formless God are both true? Didn’t he say to me that the Lord alone is real and all else in the world is transitory? Didn’t he advise me to live in the world like a maidservant?”

Thakur Sri Ramakrishna is having great fun and is glancing at M. every now and then. He sees that M. is sitting in silence. Addressing Ramalal he says, “You see, he is a little older, therefore he is somewhat grave. These people are laughing and making so much merry but he is sitting quiet.” M. was then about twenty seven years old.

During the conversation they talk of Hanuman, the great bhakta. There is a picture of Hanuman on the wall of Thakur’s room. Thakur says: See, the state of mind of Hanuman! He wants none of these: Wealth, honour, bodily comforts. He only longs for Bhagavan. When he was running away with Brahmastra (a heavenly weapon of the Brahma) taken from the crystalline pillar, Mandodari started showing him many kinds of fruits. She thought that tempted by fruits he might climb down and drop the weapon, but Hanuman could not be tricked. He said -

Sri Rama, the Kalpataru (wish fulfilling tree)

Do I stand in need of fruits?

I have got the fruit that has made my life fruitful,

The tree of the fruit of liberation - Rama - is planted in my heart.

sit under the Kalpataru (wish fulfilling tree) of Sri Rama

I

Whenever I desire any fruit I get it.

But you speak of the fruit; O woman, I am not bargaining for.

I go leaving the bitter fruit to you.

In samadhi

Thakur sings this very song. And again he goes into the same samadhi. Again his body is motionless, eyes fixed, and he sits still. He is seated the way as if a picture in the photograph. Only just now the bhaktas were laughing and making merry, now they are all gazing at this unique state of Thakur. It is for the second time that M. sees the state of samadhi. After some time a change comes in this state - his body is relaxed and a smile plays on his face. The senses begin to function again in a normal way. Shedding tears of joy from the corners of his eyes, he utters the name, “Rama! Rama!”

M. says to himself, “Is this the same great saint

who was making fun with the boys! At that time

he was as if a child of five years.”

Returning to his earlier natural state, Thakur

again behaves like an ordinary man. Addressing

M. and Narendra says he, “I would like to hear

both of you talk in English, and question and reason amongst yourselves.”

M. and Narendra both laugh at his words. They

talk a little but in Bengali. It is not possible for

M. to argue any more before Thakur. His entire

tendency to argue, in a way, has been erased by

Thakur’s grace. How can he argue then? Thakur presses them once again but the talk in English does not come about.

[You are the imperishable, the Supreme Being to be realized. You are the great treasure house of this universe; You are the imperishable guardian of the Eternal dharma. You are the ancient Purusha. I deem.]

-

With his intimate disciples - ‘who am I?’

It is five o’clock. Many bhaktas have left, each one to his own house. Only M. and Narendra stay behind. Narendra goes to Hanspukur and the Jhautala with a pitcher to wash his face. M. paces the path round the temple. After a while, he comes towards the Hanspukur near the Kuthi. He finds Sri Ramakrishna standing on the steps of the staircase, south of the tank. Narendra has washed his face and stands with the pitcher in his hands. Thakur is saying, “Look here, you must come here more often. You are a newcomer, you see. After the first acquaintance, people meet more often - like a newly wedded husband. (Narendra and M. laugh.) Won’t you come?” Narendra belongs to the Brahmo Samaj. He laughs and says, “Yes sir, I shall try.”

All of them now come to Thakur’s room by way of the Kuthi path. Near the Kuthi, Thakur says to M. “You know, peasants go to the market to buy bullocks. They know a good bullock from a bad one very well. They touch

the tail. Some bullocks lie down on the ground as soon as the tail is touched. Peasants don’t buy such bullocks. They choose only those who spring up with a start as soon as their tail is touched. Narendra is a bullock of the latter class. There is a lot of mettle in him.” Having said so, Thakur smiles and adds, “But there are so many who are soft like popped rice soaked in milk - no strength within, no grit, soft and slippery.”

It is dusk. Thakur meditates upon God. He says to M., “Go and talk to Narendra and tell me what sort of boy he is.”

The arati is over. M. meets Narendra after quite sometime to the west of the chandni. They converse with each other. Narendra says, “I belong to the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. I am a college student,” and so on.

It is night, M. will now take his leave. Something, however, seems to hold him back. So, he leaves Narendra and looks about for Thakur Sri Ramakrishna. Thakur’s songs have charmed his heart and mind. So he is longing to hear him sing again. At last, he finds him alone pacing up and down the Nata Mandir in front of Mother Kali’s temple. There are brilliant lights burning on both sides of the Mother in Her temple. The vast Nata Mandir, however, has only one light, and that is rather dim. As is the effect of blending of light and darkness, the same is seen in the Nata Mandir.

M. is beside himself on hearing Thakur’s songs, spellbound like a snake. He says to Thakur with great diffidence, “Will there be any more hymns today?” Thakur thinks for a moment and says, “No, there will be no more hymns today.” As he says this, it seems as if he is reminded of

something and says immediately, “But you can do this - I shall go to Balaram’s house in Calcutta, you come there. There you will have songs.”

M. — Right, sir.

Sri Ramakrishna — You know him, Balaram Basu?

M. — No, sir.

Sri Ramakrishna — Balaram Basu. His house is in Bosepara.

M. — Very well, sir. I shall find out.

Sri Ramakrishna (as he walks in the Nata Mandir with M.) — Well, let me ask you one

thing-what do you think of me?

M. keeps silent. Thakur says again —

“What do you feel? How many annas [20]of jnana (knowledge) I have?”

M. — Annas! I don’t understand. But I have

never and nowhere seen such jnana (knowledge of Absolute), such love for the Lord, such faith, such vairagya (dispassion) and such catholicity.

Thakur Sri Ramakrishna laughs.

After this conversation, M. bows and takes his

leave.

He comes to the main gate but remembering something, he immediately returns.

He again comes to Thakur Sri Ramakrishna in the Nata Mandir.

Thakur is still walking up and down in that dim light - alone, with no companion. Like the king of animals who walks alone himself in the forest. Atmaram [21], the lion rejoices to be alone and to walk about itself! Companionless!

M. stands speechless and again looks at the great man.

Sri Ramakrishna — You have come back again.

M. — Sir, they may not let me enter the rich man’s house. So, I think I shall not go there. It is here that I shall come and meet you.

Sri Ramakrishna — No, my dear sir, why ? You can mention my name. Say that you want to see me. Someone will surely lead you to me then.

Saying, “As you please,” M. bows down again and departs.

[1]Hindus who worship God as the Primal Divine Energy

[2]Hindus who worship God as the Preserver (Vishnu)

[3]Offered food

[4]Food offering to Gods

[5]Nectar of divine feet

[6]A fan made of the white hair from the tail of the cow called Chamari.

[7]Consecrated pitcher placed to win Divine favour

[8]Daily service morning, noon and evening, as laid down for the twice-born.

[9]Om, the Vedic symbol for the Supreme Being

[10]The Vedic mantra (sacred text) that the brahmins and other twice-born Hindus repeat everyday while meditating on the Supreme Being

Today it is Kojagar Lakshmi Puja [1]. Friday, 27 October, 1882. Thakur is seated in the same aforesaid room at the Kali Temple in Dakshineswar. He is conversing with Vijay Goswami and Haralal. Someone comes in and says, “Keshab Sen has come in the steamer at the ghat.” Keshab’s disciples offer obeisance and say, “Sir, the steamer has arrived, please come. Come for a little excursion. Keshab Sen is on board the steamer, he has sent us.”

It is 4 o’clock. Thakur steps into the steamer by a boat. Vijay is with him. As he steps into the boat, he loses outer-consciousness. He goes into samadhi.

M., on board the steamer, looks at the picture of Thakur in samadhi. Boarding on Keshab’s steamer at 3 o’clock, he has come from Calcutta. He is very eager to see the meeting between Thakur and Keshab, witness their joy and listen to their conversation. By his saintly character and eloquence, Keshab has captivated

the mind of many a Bengali young man like

M. Regarding Keshab as their own, many have

given him their heart’s love. Keshab is an English educated man and well versed in English philosophy and literature. Many a time he has termed the worship of gods and goddesses idolatry. It is rather strange that such a man looks upon Sri Ramakrishna with reverence and admiration and visits him off and on! It is curious for M. and others to find out the common ground on which they both meet. Though Thakur believes in the formless God but he holds that God is with form too. He meditates upon Brahman, but at the same time he worships gods and goddesses with flowers, incense and other offerings. And, diving deep in intense love of God, he sings and dances. He sits on a bed with a bedspread. He uses a red- bordered dhoti, shirt, socks, shoes etc. But he is not a householder. His entire bhava (disposition) is that of a sannyasi, hence people call him a paramahansa. On the other hand, Keshab believes in God without form, with wife and children he lives the life of a householder, delivers lectures in English, brings out a paper and attends to worldly affairs.

Along with Keshab all the Brahmo bhaktas observe the beauty of the temple from the steamer. Not far from the steamer, towards the east, there is a cemented ghat and chandni (porch) of the temple. To the left of the passengers and to the north of the chandni, is a continuous row of six temples out of the twelve Shiva temples and to the right hand side also are six Shiva temples. Upon the canvas of the blue sky of autumn are visible the pinnacle of the temple of Bhavatarini and to the north the

top of the trees of the Panchavati and willow trees. Near the Bakultala there is a concert room and to the southern side of Kali Temple there is another concert room. In the middle of both the concert rooms there are garden paths and rows of flowering plants on their sides. The blue of autumn sky is reflected in the holy waters of Jahnavi (Ganga). Serene atmosphere prevails everywhere outside. The same serenity is there in the hearts of Brahmo bhaktas. Above is the beautiful dark blue infinite sky, in front is the beautiful temple and below is the holy water of the Ganga on the banks of which the Aryan rishis used to meditate on Bhagavan. And, now again a special mahapurusha (great saint) is coming - an incarnation of the Sanatana dharma (eternal religion). It is not always the fortune of a man to see such a sight. At such a place who does not feel the arousing of bhakti for the great saint in samadhi and whose stone like heart does not melt?

Chapter Two

Vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya navani grihnati narah aparani,

Tatha sharirani vihaya jirnany anyani samyati navani dehi.

- Gita 2:22

[As a man having cast away old garments wears new ones, so having cast away worn out bodies, the embodied enters into other new ones.]

In samadhi - the imperishable Atman - Pavahari Baba

The boat has come alongside the steamer. All are eager to see Thakur Sri Ramakrishna. There is a big crowd. Keshab is very anxious that Thakur gets down the boat comfortably. With great difficulty he is brought back to sense- consciousness and then taken inside the cabin. He is still in divine ecstasy. He leans on a bhakta as he moves. Merely his feet are in motion. He enters the cabin. Keshab and other bhaktas offer their obeisance but he has no sense-consciousness. Inside the cabin are some chairs and a table. Thakur is made to sit on a chair, Keshab sits on another. Vijay has taken his seat. Other bhaktas sit wherever they find a seat, even on the bare floor. Many don’t find a place - these people peep in from outside. Thakur, after taking his seat, is again in samadhi - absolutely devoid of outer consciousness! All are gazing at him.

Keshab sees that there are too many persons in the cabin and Thakur is feeling uneasy. Leaving Keshab, Vijay has joined the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. He spoke against Keshab on many of his acts like the early marriage of his daughter. That is why Keshab feels a little embarrassed to see Vijay. Keshab leaves his seat to open the window of the cabin.

Brahmo bhaktas are looking at Thakur with their eyes fixed. Thakur comes down from his samadhi. Still he is absorbed fully in bhava (divine mood). Thakur is speaking in a tone that is hardly articulate, “Mother! Why have You brought me here? Shall I be able to save them out of their prison house?”

Does Thakur look upon the men of the world that they are within a prison house and cannot come out - they can’t even see the light outside.

All of them are bound hand and foot in worldly affairs. They only see the things that are within the prison house and think that the aim of life is only to have body comforts, worldly work and ‘woman and gold’. Is it for this reason that Thakur says, “Mother! Why have You brought me here? Shall I be able to save them out of their prison house?”

Thakur gradually gains sense-consciousness. Neel Madhava of Gazipur and a Brahmo bhakta take up the topic of Pavahari Baba.

A Brahmo bhakta (to Thakur) — Sir, they all have seen Pavahari Baba. He lives in Gazipur. He is another holy man like your good self.

Thakur smiles a little and speaks pointing to his body, “This pillow case!”

Chapter Three

Yat samkhyaih prapyate sthanam tad yogair api gamyate,

Ekam samkhyam cha yogam cha yah pashyati sa pashyati.

- Gita 5:5

[The state reached by the jnanis is also attained by the yogis. He indeed sees who sees that jnana

and yoga are one.]

Harmony of Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga

The pillow and its pillow case - the soul and the body. Does Thakur say that the body is perishable, it won’t last? The soul within the body is alone imperishable. So, what use is it to have a photograph of the body? The body is transitory. What use is there to have regards for it? Rather, it is right to worship only the

antaryamin [2]Bhagavan who is present within the heart of man.

Thakur has come a little to the normal state. Says he, “But there is one thing. The heart of the bhakta is His dwelling place. Maybe that God is manifest in all things, but He is manifest in a special sense in the heart of a bhakta. For example, a zemindar (landlord) can be seen at all the places of his estate. Still people say that the zemindar is usually seen in a particular drawing room. The heart of the bhakta is the Bhagavan’s drawing room.” (All rejoice.) One Lord with different names - the jnani, the yogi and the bhakta

“The same Being whom the jnanis call Brahman (the Absolute) is called Atman (Universal Soul) by the yogis and Bhagavan (Personal God with divine attributes) by the bhaktas.

“The brahmin is one and the same person. When he worships, he is called a priest; when employed in the kitchen, he is called a brahmin

cook. The jnani who holds on to the Jnana Yoga reasons saying, ‘Not this, not this.’ That is, the Brahman is neither this nor that, neither the individual soul nor the external world. When as a result of this reasoning the mind becomes steady, it vanishes and one goes into samadhi. Then one attains Brahmajnana (knowledge of the Absolute). The Brahmajnani truly realizes that Brahman is real and the world unreal; names and forms are all like dreams. What Brahman is cannot be described by the word of mouth. God is a person, even that cannot be described by words.

“The jnanis say the same as the Vedantins. But bhaktas accept all the states. They look upon the waking state as real and they do not consider the external world as a dream. The bhaktas say that this world is the glory of Bhagavan. The sky, the stars, the moon, the sun, the mountains, the ocean, men, birds and beasts - they are all created by the Lord. These are only His ‘riches’. He is both within the core of the heart and He is without. The superior most bhakta says, ‘God Himself has become

these twenty-four categories [3]- the living beings and the universe.’ The bhakta wants not to be one with the sugar but would rather have a taste of it. (All laugh.)

“How does a bhakta feel, do you know? ‘O Bhagavan! You are the Master, I am Your servant. You are my Mother, I am Your child.

And again You are both my Mother and Father. You are the whole, I am Your part.’ The bhakta doesn’t like to say, ‘I am Brahman.’

“The yogi [4]also seeks to see Parmatman [5]. His object is to bring the embodied soul in communion with the Parmatman. The yogi withdraws his mind from worldly objects and tries to fix it on Parmatman. So, to begin with he meditates on Him in solitude in some fixed posture with a concentrated mind.

“But It is one and the same Substance. The difference is only in names. He who is Brahman is Himself Atman and also Bhagavan. He is Brahman of the Brahmajnani[6], Parmatman of

the yogi [7], Bhagavan of the bhakta [8].”

Chapter Four

Tvema sukshama tvam sthula vyaktavyakta swarupani,

Nirakarepi sakara kastvam veditumhati.

- Mahanirvana Tantra 4:15

[You are the subtle and You are the gross; You O Mother! are manifest as well as unmanifest. You are both with form and formless. Who has the capacity to know You?]

Harmony of Veda and Tantra - glory of Adya Shakti (Primeval Power)

The steamer is on its way to Calcutta. Those

who are having darshan of Sri Ramakrishna and are listening to his nectarine words in the cabin are not even conscious of the movement of the steamer. Does the bee buzz while sitting on a flower?

The steamer has gradually left Dakshineswar behind. The picture of the beautiful temple has gone out of sight. As the steamer cleaves through the holy waters of the Ganga, that reflect the blue firmament above, the waves are broken into crests of foam making a roaring sound. The murmurs of the waves are now lost on the ears of the bhaktas. Spellbound they are gazing at the smiling, joyful, sweet face and loving eyes of the wonderful yogi. They are gazing in him an all-renouncing loving vairagi[9] intoxicated with the love for the Lord and who knows none but the Lord. In the meanwhile, Sri Ramakrishna converses.

Sri Ramakrishna — The Vedantin Brahmajnani says that creation, preservation, dissolution, the living beings and the world are all the sport of Shakti (the Divine Mother). If you reason, they are all like dreams. Brahman alone is the Reality, all else is unreal! Shakti is also like a dream, unreal.

“You may reason a thousand times, but without attaining the state of samadhi you cannot go beyond the jurisdiction of Shakti. ‘I am meditating,’ ‘I am thinking’ - all this is within the jurisdiction of Shakti.

“That’s why Brahman and Shakti are inseparable. Belief in one implies belief in the

other. Just as the fire and its burning power - if you postulate the fire, you must postulate the burning power. Fire cannot be thought of apart from its burning power, nor can its burning power be thought of apart from the fire. The sun’s rays cannot be conceived apart from the sun, nor can the sun be conceived apart from its rays.

“What is milk like? Well, it is something white! Milky whiteness cannot be conceived apart from the milk, nor can the milk be conceived apart from its milky whiteness.

“Thus, Shakti cannot be thought of apart from Brahman, nor can Brahman be thought of apart from Shakti. Nitya (the Absolute) and leela (the relative phenomenal world) cannot be thought of apart from each other.

“The sporting Adya Shakti (Primeval Divine Energy) creates, preserves and dissolves. She is known as Kali (the Mother of the universe).

Kali is Brahman and Brahman is Kali, one and

the same substance. When She is inactive - neither creating, nor preserving, nor destroying, I call Her Brahman. When She performs all these activities I call Her Kali, I call Her Shakti. The Being is the same, only the names and forms are different.

“For example - ‘jal,’ ‘water,’ and ‘pani’. A tank may have three or four ghats. At one ghat the Hindus drink water, they call it ‘jal’. At another ghat the Muslims drink water and they call it

‘pani’. On another ghat the English drink water, they call it ‘water’. All the three are one and the same but the names are different. Some call Him Allah, some God, some Brahman, some Kali, again some Rama, Hari, Jesus and Durga.”

Keshab — In what different ways Kali performs Her sport, please say it once.

Talk with Keshab - Mahakali and mode of creation

Sri Ramakrishna (smiling) — She sports in various ways. She Herself is Mahakali (the Goddess, Unconditioned Absolute, without form), Nitya Kali (the everlasting Goddess), Shamshan Kali (Goddess of crematories), Raksha Kali (the Goddess that blesses and is ready to preserve) and Shyama Kali (the Mother with dark blue complexion - consort of the God of Eternity and Infinity). The Tantras speak of Mahakali and Nitya Kali. When there was no creation, no moon, no sun, no planets, no earth - nothing but deep darkness, then there was only the formless Divine Mother Mahakali living with Mahakala.

“Shyama Kali has very tender heart, bestoweroffearlessness. She is worshipped in households. At the time of epidemic, famine, earthquake, drought, or excess of rain, you should worship Raksha Kali. Shamshan Kali has the form of destruction. She lives in the midst of the dead

bodies, the jackals, Dakinis and Yoginis [10]in crematories. Streams of blood, a garland of skulls round Her neck, a girdle of human hands on Her waist. Upon the destruction of the world, at the time of maha pralaya (total destruction of the world), the Mother preserves all the seeds of creation. As the mistress of the house has a hodgepodge pot in which she keeps sundry things of all kinds. (Keshab and all others laugh.)

(Smiling) “Yes, my friend. The mistress of the house does have such a pot in her possession. In it are kept the sea-foam in a solid state, small packets containing the seeds of cucumber, pumpkin, gourd, etc. All types of such seeds are kept carefully. She brings them out when wanted. In the same way the Divine Mother keeps all the seeds at the time of destruction of the world. After the creation, Adya Shakti (the Primeval Divine Energy) lives very much in the world. Giving birth to the world, She lives within it. The Vedas talk of the Urnanabhi - the spider and its web. The spider creates the web out of itself and then lives in the same web. The Lord is both the container and the content of the world.”

Kali Brahman - Kali with form and formless

“Is Kali of dark hue? She is far off, that’s why She seems to be of dark complexion. When you

know Her, She does not appear to be dark in hue.

“The sky appears to be blue because of distance. When seen from near, it has no colour. The sea water appears to be blue from a distance. When you go near it and take some in your hand, it has no colour.”

Saying this, drunk with the wine of divine love, Sri Ramakrishna begins to sing a song.

O, is my Divine Mother black?

Infinite is the garment that She puts on! She illumines the lotus of the heart!

Chapter Five

Tribhih gunamayaih bhavaih ebhih sarvam idam jagat,

Mohitam na abhijanati mamebhyah param avyayam.

- Gita 7:13

[Deluded by the three gunas this world does not know Me, who am beyond them and immutable.]

Why this world exists?

Sri Ramakrishna (to Keshab and others) — She is the creator of both bondage and liberation. Due to Her maya (illusion) the worldly man is bound with the chains of ‘woman and gold,’ and then he is liberated by Her mercy and

grace. She is the Being who takes humans across the sea of the world removing the fetters.

Saying this, Thakur sings in a voice sweeter

than gandharvas [11]a song by Rama Prasad -

O my Mother Shyama You are flying the paper kite of the human being in the market place of the world.

The kite flies in the wind of hope, and is fastened to the string made of maya.

The wooden framework of the paper kite is the skeleton - ribs, veins and the internal organs of the human body.

The kite is made purely of Your own attributes (sattva, rajas, tamas); the rest of the workmanship is merely ornamental.

The string is made sharp with the powdered glass of worldliness.

Out of a hundred-thousand kites, one or two only have their string cut through and they are thus set free; O, then, how You laugh and clap Your hands!

Rama Prasad says, ‘The kite thus set free will be carried rapidly on favourable wind until it drops into the Infinite beyond the sea of the world.’

“The Mother is always in Her sportive mood! This world is Her sport. She has Her own way and She is full of joy. She liberates just one from amongst the millions.”

A Brahmo Bhakta — Sir, She can free all if She so desires. Why then She has bound us in the

chains of the world?

Sri Ramakrishna — It is Her pleasure! It is Her desire to sport with all this. If a player touches the Grand-dame (in the game of hide and seek) first, he no longer has to run about. If all the players touch, how will the game continue? If everyone touches the Grand-dame She would by no means be glad. If the game continues, the Grand-dame feels happy. That’s why She (the Mother of the universe) is happy and claps Her hands when She cuts the string of one or two (kites of the human soul) out of a hundred thousand. (All laugh.)

“With a twinkle of Her eye, She has directed the mind to go and live in the world. What is the fault of the mind then? And again if by Her grace She changes the mind, one is liberated from the clutches of the worldly intellect. Then the mind goes to Her lotus feet.”

Thakur sings placing himself in the position of the man of the world and expressing his right on the Mother -

Sometimes I form the resolution of repeating Your holy name, but I forget to do so at the proper hour!

And now I know, I feel, that all this is Your trick.

You have not given, so You have not received, aught to keep or to eat; am I to blame for this?

Had You given, You would have surely received, and I would have offered You, out of Your own gifts!

Fame or calumny, sweet or bitter, all is Yours!

O, You ruler of all tender feelings why do You break them as they are called forth in me instead of giving them play?

Prasad says: You have given me the mind but have with a twinkle of Your eye confided to it a secret at the same time.

Thus do I roam about seeking joy through the world, which is Your creation, taking bitter for

sweet, unreal for real [12].

“Baffled by Her delusion, man has become worldly. Prasad says, ‘You have given me the mind but have with a twinkle of Your eye confided to it a secret at the same time.’ ”

Instruction about Karma Yoga - the world and nishkama karma (selfless work)

A Brahmo Bhakta — Sir, is it not possible to realize the Lord without renouncing everything?

Sri Ramakrishna (smiling) — No, my dear. Why have you to renounce all? You are very well in joy as you are. You are all right at do, re, fa (lower notes of the gamut). (All laugh.)

Do you know the game of ‘nux’ (a play with cards)? I have been ‘burnt’ as I have ‘cut’ so many times. You are very clever. Some of you are at ten points, some at six and others at five (out of the seventeen needed to win). You didn’t ‘cut’ more. So you have not been ‘burnt’ like me. The game is going on - it is so nice! (Everybody laughs.)

“Verily, I say that there is nothing wrong in living as a householder as you are. Even so, you have to fix your mind on the Lord. Otherwise, it won’t do. Do your work with one hand and hold the Lord with the other. When you finish your work, you will hold God with both the hands.

“It is the mind that matters. If the mind is bound, you are bound; if the mind is free, you are free. The mind gets dyed in the colour you dye it with. It is just like the laundered white cloth. You can get it dyed in any colour - red, blue or green. It gets the colour you dip it in. Just see, if you study a little of English, you start speaking English in spite of yourself: Foot- fut, it-mit. (All laugh.) And also putting on shoes (English boots), whistling and singing, all these actions follow. And if a pundit studies Sanskrit, he starts quoting slokas. If the mind is kept in bad company, it adopts the same style of conversation and thoughts. If you keep it in the company of a bhakta, meditation on the Lord and talk on Hari and so on would follow.

“It is, indeed, the mind that matters. You have wife on the one hand and the child on the other. The attraction for wife is of one kind and the affection for the child of another. But the mind is the same.”

Chapter Six

Sarvadharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja,

Aham tva sarvapapebhyo mokshayishyami ma -

shuchah.

Gita 18:66

[Renouncing all duties take refuge in Me alone. I shall liberate you from all sins; grieve not.]

Sri Ramakrishna (to Brahmo bhaktas) — It is the mind that binds and it is the mind that liberates. I am a free soul; I may live in the household or in the forest; there is no bondage for me. I am the child of the Lord, the son of the king of kings; who will bind me then? When bitten by a snake, if you say loudly, ‘There is no poison in it,’ you are rid of the venom. In the same way if you say emphatically, ‘I am not bound; I am free,’ you become like that. You become liberated.

The earlier story of his life - Sri Ramakrishna listens to the Bible - Krishna Kishore’s faith

“Someone gave me a book on Christianity. I asked him to read it out to me. It contained ‘sin’ and ‘sin’ alone. (To Keshab) Your Brahmo Samaj also speaks of ‘sin’ and ‘sin’ alone. One who constantly speaks, ‘I am bound, I am bound,’ that rascal really gets bound! He who repeats day and night, ‘I am a sinner, I am a sinner,’ does become a sinner.

“There should be such faith in the name of the Lord, ‘I have chanted His name, shall I be a sinner still? What sin for me! What bondage for me!’ Krishna Kishore is a pious Hindu, a brahmin who worships the Lord with single- minded devotion. Once he went to Vrindavan. One day while roaming about, he felt thirsty. He went to a well where he saw a man standing. He said to him, ‘Brother, will you please give me a pot of water? Of what caste are you?’ The man replied, ‘Pundit ji, I belong to a low caste - a cobbler.’ Krishna Kishore said, ‘You say Shiva and now draw water for me.’

“By chanting the name of Bhagavan, the body and mind of man all become pure.

“Why talk of ‘sin’ and ‘hell’ alone? Just say but once, ‘I shall not repeat the wrongs I have done,’ and have faith in His name.”

Thakur overwhelmed with love sings the power of God’s Name.

Mother, if I die with the name of Durga on my lips,

I shall see, O Shankari, how You shall not

redeem me? [13]

“I prayed to my Mother only for bhakti. Keeping flowers in my hands I offered them to the lotus feet of the Mother and said -

O Mother, take Your sin and take Your merit, grant that I may have pure bhakti.

Ask - about the Lord - the son called viveka who knows the Real (God) from the unreal phenomenal world.

O, when shall you lie down in the abode of the blessed with purification and defilement alike

by the side.

You shall see my Divine Mother as soon as all difference between the two co-wives ceases to exist.

Do you turn out your parents, egoism and ignorance.

Should mine-ness try to draw you into its hole do you cling to the post of patience.

Tie to a worthless post the two goats dharma and adharma.

Should they prove refractory, let them be killed before the altar of God with the sword of knowledge.

Admonish, O my mind, the children of your wife pravritti from a safe distance.

Should they not obey you, see that they are drowned in the sea of jnana.

Prasad says: If you go on like this, you shall be able to render satisfactory account of yourself to the Lord of death.

And I shall be glad to call you ‘my child,’ ‘my darling,’ the ‘idol of my father’ and other pet names; and you shall be indeed a mind after my mind.

“Why would God-realization be not possible in the household? Raja Janak had realized God. This world is a ‘structure of dreams,’ so said Prasad. After attaining bhakti at His lotus feet -

The world is indeed a thing of joy; let me eat, drink and be merry.

Raja Janak, was he inferior in any respect to the

holy man who has given up the world?

Oh no, he was loyal to both matter and Spirit, who realized God and at the same time drank his cup of milk. (All laugh.)

Brahmo Samaj and Raja Janak - way in household - to live in solitude and viveka (discrimination)

“But one cannot become Raja Janak all at once. Raja Janak had performed penance for a long

time in solitude. Even while living in the family one should go into solitude at times. It is good

if

one can cry for Bhagavan even for three days

in

solitude away from home. Even if a man

goes out in solitude for a day when he gets an opportunity and thinks upon Him, that too is good indeed. People shed pitcherful of tears for wife and children, but who cries for the Lord, tell me? One should go in solitude at times and

perform sadhana to realize Bhagavan. While attending to particular duties in the world there are so many difficulties in making the mind steady in the initial stage. For example, when the trees on the footpath are young, they may be eaten up by goats or cows for want of fencing.

A fence is needed in the initial stage. When,

however, the trunk gets thicker no fence is needed. Then even an elephant tied to the trunk will not do any harm to it.

“The disease is of typhoid. And, there are a pot of water and tamarind pickles in the room where the patient is lying with typhoid fever. If

you want to cure such a patient, you’ll have to change his place. The worldly man is a patient of typhoid, the worldly things are like the water pot, and desire for sensory enjoyments is the thirst for water. The mouth begins to water at the mere thought of tamarind pickles. They should not be placed nearby. Such things are very much present in the house - company of a woman and so on. That’s why, living in solitude is necessary for cure.

“One should enter family life after attaining viveka and vairagya (discrimination and non- attachment). In the ocean of the world there are crocodiles of passion, anger, etc. If you enter the water after anointing your body with turmeric, you need not fear crocodiles. Discrimination and non-attachment are the turmeric. Knowledge of real and unreal is known as discrimination. The Lord alone is real, eternal. All else is unreal, transitory, lasting just a couple of days. One must realize this and develop love for the Lord. Attraction for the Lord - love for Him. The gopis had such an attraction for Krishna. Here is a song -

The way - love for the Lord. Attachment, or attraction like that of gopis

O, the sweet flute is again being played on in yonder wood!

(I for my part must go there!)

(My beloved of the dark blue hue stands waiting for me there!)

O tell me, my dears, if you too are coming or not.

My beloved - O, I am afraid He is a mere word - an empty sound to you, my friends!

But to me He is a vital part. O, He is my very life, my heart, my soul!

Do come out - Shyam is playing on the flute.

The grove has no beauty without you.

Singing this song with tearful eyes, Thakur says to Keshab and other bhaktas, “You may or may not accept Radha and Krishna but make this attraction and attachment your own. Who has such a yearning for Bhagavan? Make effort. Only when you yearn for God, you will realize Him.”

Chapter Seven

Samniyamya indriyagramam sarvatra sam- buddhayah,

Te prapnuvante man eva sarva bhute hite ratah.

- Gita 12:4

[Having restrained all the senses, even-minded everywhere, engaged in the welfare of all beings - verily they also come unto Me.]

Steamer trip with Keshab Sen - engaged in the welfare of all beings

It is the ebb tide. The steamer is going fast towards Calcutta. This is because the captain has orders to go a little farther down the

Botanical Gardens to the other side of the bridge. How far the steamer has gone is not known to many, they have been listening to Sri Ramakrishna's words with rapt attention. They have no idea of time!

Now they partake of popped rice with coconut. Taking within the folds of their cloth all of them eat it. It is a mart of joy. Keshab has arranged for the popped rice. At this moment Thakur sees that both Vijay and Keshab are not quite at home in each other’s presence. Now he will make them compromise as if they are two innocent boys. He is engaged in the welfare of all beings.

Sri Ramakrishna (to Keshab) — I say! Vijay is here. Your disputes and differences are like skirmishes between Rama and Shiva. (Laughter.) Shiva is Rama’s guru. They had a fight and they also had a compromise. But the fight and gibberish between Shiva’s ghosts and Rama’s monkeys do not end! (Loud laughter.)

“Both of you are one’s own flesh and blood! Such things, you know, cannot be avoided. Lava and Kusha fought a war with Rama. And do you know, the mother and the daughter observed the ‘Tuesday’ (as the day of fast and prayers) separately. It is as if the weal of the mother and the weal of the daughter are different. In fact, the mother’s ‘Tuesday’ brings weal to the daughter and daughter’s ‘Tuesday’ brings weal to the mother. In the same way, he (Keshab) has a Samaj (religious society) of his own and he (Vijay) must have a separate Samaj

of his own too. (Laughter.) Still it all is required. If you say that when Bhagavan Himself enacts His sport, where is the need for

Jatila and Kutila [18]? If there are no Jatila and Kutila, the sport does not nourish. (All laugh.) Without Jatila and Kutila there is no joy. (Loud laughter.)

“Ramanuja was a believer of the doctrine of Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism). His guru believed in Advaitavada (non-dualism). In the end they had differences. The guru and the disciple started criticising each other’s faith. This happens quite often. Howsoever, he is still our own flesh and blood.”

[You are the Father of the moving and the unmoving world. You are adorable by this world, You are the greatest Guru. In the three worlds there is none who can excel you? You, O Being, of unparallel power!]

do not see the nature of your disciples before taking them in, that’s why they break away like this.”

“Men are the same in appearance, but they

differ in nature. In some sattvaguna [19]

dominates, in some rajoguna [20]and in others

tamoguna [21]. Pooli (a kind of stuffed sweet) may all have the same look. But some contain sweet condensed milk, some the kernel of coconut sweetened by treacle or sugar and some have the kalai pulse (boiled without any admixture of sweets.) (All laugh.)

“Do you know what is my way of thinking? I go about eating and drinking and the Mother knows all. There are three words that prick me - guru, doer and father.

“It is Guru alone who is Sachchidananda. It is only He who will preach. I for my part feel like a child. You can find lakhs of men as gurus. Every one wants to be a guru. Who wants to be a disciple?

“Preaching to mankind is very difficult. It is when God manifests and commissions, only then it is possible. Narada, Sukadeva and some others had received the commandment. Sankracharya was commissioned by God. If you are not commissioned, who will listen to you? You know the Calcutta people’s mind! So long as there is fire, the milk comes to the boiling point. As soon as the fire is withdrawn, nothing happens to it. The people of Calcutta

are moody. They begin digging a well here. Reason, they need water. But they give it up when they find some rock there. They then start digging at another place. If they find sand there, they will give up and they start digging at another point. This is the way they do!

“Again, there are people who think a particular thought and believe it to be God’s commandment. Such an idea is quite a mistaken one. He verily appears before you and talks. It is then that you receive the commandment. What a weight then that instruction carries! A mountain is moved by it. Mere lecturing! People will listen for a few days and later they forget. They do not act according to that instruction.”

The earlier story of his life - vision of Haldarpukur in bhava

“In that part of the country (in Thakur’s native village), there is a pond named Haldarpukur. People used to ease themselves at its bank every morning. Others who came there in the morning, would shout at them in abusive language. Yet the same would be repeated the next day. Defecation stopped not. People then approached the Company (Municipality). They (the Municipality) sent a peon there. That peon put up a notice saying, ‘Do not ease yourself here.’ All that stopped then. (Everybody laughs.)

“The person who preaches must have the badge of authority. Without it, it is all-ridiculous. We do not instruct ourselves but preach others! It is

like the blind leading the blind. (Laughter.) It

brings more harm than good. It is only when you have seen God that you can see through other people and understand what diseases (of the soul) they have been take with. You can then instruct them.

Ahamkara vimudhatma karta aham iti manyate [22]

“You must have direct commandment of God, else it would be asserting yourself to say, ‘I teach mankind.’ Self assertion is the offspring of ignorance. Out of ignorance one feels, ‘I am the doer.’ One becomes a jivanmukta if one can but realize that God is the sole Actor (in the world system) and that I am a mere instrument in His hands. All troubles, all want of peace, come of the notion, ‘I am the doer, I am the free agent.’ ”

much in work, I forget You. I think in my mind that I am doing the work in a nishkama way but it turns out to be sakama (with a selfish motive.) Perhaps a desire for name and fame crops up when there is increase in giving charity and distributing free meals.’

The earlier story of his life - talk on activities such as charity with Shambhu Mullick

“Shambhu Mullick took up the topic of hospitals, dispensaries, schools, roads and tanks. I said to him, ‘You should do only that much that comes to your way and which appears to be of pressing necessity - this too with the spirit of nishkama. Do not seek more work because if you do so you will lose sight of the Lord. Say, you go to the Kali ghat and become busy in distributing alms there. But in that you miss the very darshan of Kali! (Laughter.) First of all have the darshan of Kali even if you have to push your way through to reach there. Afterwards you may or may not take to charity. If you like, do as much as you can. After all, work is meant to realize the Lord. That’s why I said to Shambhu: Suppose the Lord appears before you, what will you say to Him? ‘Please build a number of hospitals and dispensaries?’ (Laughter.) A bhakta never asks for such things. Instead he says, ‘Thakur, grant me place at Your lotus feet, always keep me with You and grant me pure bhakti at Your

lotus feet.’

“Karma Yoga is indeed very hard. The rituals laid down in the sacred books are very hard to practise in the age of Kali. Life is dependent on food. Too much of work is not possible. It will be all over with the patient suffering from fever if he is given the (slow process of) treatment of

a kaviraj [23]. He cannot go for long. These

days he needs D. Gupta [24]. In the age of Kali one should take to Bhakti Yoga, chanting of Bhagavan’s names and His glories, and prayer. Bhakti Yoga indeed is the law of this age. (To the Brahmo bhaktas) You people also practise Bhakti Yoga. You repeat the name of Hari,

chant the glories of the Mother, you people are indeed blessed! Your path is really fine. Like the Vedantins you do not say, ‘The world is like

a dream.’ You are not such Brahmajnanis, you

are bhaktas, you believe that God is a person. This too is nice indeed. You are bhaktas. You will certainly attain God when you call upon Him with a yearning heart.”

Chapter Ten

Surendra’s house - with Narendra and others

The steamer has now come back to the Koyla ghat (Calcutta). All get ready to land. Coming out of the cabin they see that the full moon of Kojagar (the month of Aswin) is shining bright. The bosom of the Bhagirathi (Ganga) has become the place of sport for moonlight. A cab

has been called for Thakur Sri Ramakrishna. After a while Sri Ramakrishna enters the cab with M. and some devotees. Nanda Lal, Keshab’s nephew, also gets in. He will accompany Thakur up to some distance.

When they all are seated in the cab, Thakur asks, “Where is he?” He means, where is Keshab. Soon Keshab appears alone. There is a smile on his face. As he comes, he asks who are the persons accompanying him? After everyone is seated in the cab, Keshab prostrates himself on the ground and takes the dust of Thakur’s feet. Thakur also bids him adieu affectionately.

The cab rolls on. The British locality. Beautiful main road with beautiful mansions on both sides of the road. The full moon has arisen. The mansions seem to repose in the mellow and serene rays of the moon. Near the main gates are the gas lights; numerous lights illuminate the rooms and in almost every home English ladies are singing to the accompaniment of harmonium, or piano. Thakur smiles in joy as he passes. Suddenly says he, “I am feeling thirsty; what is to be done?” What to do! Nanda Lal stops the carriage near the India Club, goes upstairs to fetch water and brings it in a glass tumbler. Thakur asks smilingly, “Is the tumbler well washed?” Nanda Lal says, “Yes, it is.” Thakur takes water in that very tumbler.

Thakur has the nature of a child! When the cab starts, Thakur puts forward his face to look at people, horses, carriages and moonlight. He is happy to see all these.

But Surendra was not at home. He has gone to his new garden. The inmates of the house open a room on the ground floor for them to sit. The cab fare is to be paid. Who will pay it? Had Surendra been there, he would have paid. Thakur says to a bhakta, “Ask the ladies of the house for the fare. Don’t they know that their men are frequent visitors?”

Narendra lives in that very locality. Thakur sends for Narendra. Meanwhile, the inmates of the house led Thakur to a room on the second level. The floor of the room is covered with a sheet, a few bolsters are lying over it. On the wall of the room is an oil painting specially prepared by Surendra, wherein Thakur is showing to Keshab harmony of all religions:

Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism. And also the harmony amongst all the sects of Vaishnavas, Shaktas, Shaivites and so on.

Sitting there Thakur talks smilingly. At that juncture enters Narendra. It is as if the joy of Thakur is redoubled. He says, “I had a steamer trip with Keshab Sen. Vijay was there and also all these people.” Pointing to M. he adds, “You may ask him how I told Vijay and Keshab about ‘Tuesday’ of the mother and the daughter and that God’s sport does not nourish without Jatila and Kutila - all these matters.” (To M.) Was this not so?

M. — Yes, sir.

It is getting dark, but Surendra has not yet come back. Thakur will go to Dakshineswar. It cannot be delayed any further, it is 10.30 p.m. There is moonlight on the road.

The cab has arrived. Thakur gets in. Narendra and M. offer their obeisance and return to their houses in Calcutta.

[1]Kojagar Lakshmi Puja - The full moon night in the dark fortnight of Aswin. Lakshmi (goddess of wealth and prosperity) is worshipped in North India on Diwali festival. In Bengal Lakshmi is worshipped fifteen days prior to Diwali. On Diwali festival people worship Kali in Bengal.

[2]Knower of heart within

[3]The twenty four categories are the following, viz. - the five gross elements (earth, water, fire, air, space); the five pranas (vital airs) (prana, udana, samana, vyana, apana); the five organs of sense; the five organs of work; the mind; the determinative faculty (buddhi); the ego; Prakriti

[4]The aspirant who seeks to commune with God

[5]Universal Soul

[6]Monist

[7]Unionist

[8]Dualist

[9]One who looks not for anything except the Lord

[10]The spirits of destruction

[11]Demi-gods who sing in heaven

[12]Text of this song taken from ‘The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna,’ According to M. (Mahendra), a Son of the Lord and Disciple, Part I.

The Paramahansa Deva has come to visit the Brahmo Samaj at Sinti. It is Saturday, 28 October, 1882, the second day of the dark fortnight in the month of Aswin.

Grand festivities are going on here today - the six monthly celebrations of the Brahmo Samaj. That is why Sri Ramakrishna has been invited here. At about three or four in the afternoon he has come to the beautiful garden house of Sri Veni Madhava Pal by a cab from Dakshineswar Kali Temple with many a bhakta. It is here in this garden house that the Brahmo Samaj conducts its meetings. He has great love for the Brahmo Samaj. Brahmo bhaktas too have great bhakti and reverence for him. It is only yesterday, on Friday evening, that he enjoyed so much when along with Keshab Chandra Sen and his disciples, he was on a steamer trip with the bhaktas on the bosom of the Bhagirathi (the Ganga) from Kali Temple to Calcutta.

Sinti is located near Paikpara about one and a half kosas (three miles) to the north of

Calcutta. This is a beautiful garden house. Located far from the din of the city, this place is particularly suitable for Bhagavan’s worship. The owner of this garden house arranges two festivals every year - one in autumn and the other in spring. He invites many bhaktas from Calcutta and nearby villages of Sinti to these festivities. So, Shivanath and other bhaktas have come here today from Calcutta. Most of them had joined the morning service and are now waiting for the evening service. It is particularly because they had heard that the great saint would be there in the afternoon and they would be able to see his ‘happy figure,’ drink the heart charming nectar of his words,

hear his very sweet sankirtan [1]and witness his dance full of love for Hari - a dance that is rare even amongst gods.

In the afternoon, a big crowd has gathered in the garden. Some are sitting on wooden benches under the shadow of some creeper canopy. Others are moving with their friends around the bank of the beautiful tank while many have already occupied their seats in the Samaj house and are awaiting the arrival of Sri Ramakrishna. There is a beetle leaf shop at the entrance of the garden. As one enters, one has the feeling that it is a place of worship. In the evening there will be musical yatra (a play). All the four directions are filled with joy. The blue sky of the autumn is reflecting joy. Since morning, a current of joy has been passing through the trees, the creepers and the shrubs of the garden. It appears as if the sky, the trees, the creepers and the creatures are singing in one tune -

What a joy the breeze is carrying today into the

heart (of bhaktas) through the divine propitious rays!

It is as if all are thirsting after the divine appear-

ance! It is at this time that the carriage of the Paramahansa Deva reaches in front of the Samaj building.

All rise to welcome the great saint. He has arrived. Forming a circle, people surround him from all sides.

A platform has been built in the middle of the

main hall of the Samaj building. This place is full of people. In front is the vestibule. The Paramahansa Deva is seated there. Some people are seated there too. There are two rooms on both sides of the vestibule. People are there in those rooms too. Keeping their necks erect people are standing at the doors of the rooms. There are steps from one end to the other to go up the vestibule. These steps are also full of people. There are two or three trees near the steps. There is a creeper canopy close by. A number of benches are there. Here too people are gazing at the great saint with their necks erect and ears agog. There is a path between so many rows of flower and fruit trees. All the trees are waving gently with the touch of the breeze as if bowing in joy they are giving him a welcome.

Thakur Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa Deva smilingly takes his seat. Now the sight of all falls instantly upon his happy and joyful figure. Till the start of the play, among the spectators some smile, some talk on worldly matters, some walk about either alone or with friends, some chew the beetle leaf, or the tobacco and some of them smoke cigarettes. But as soon as

the curtain rises, they all stop talking about all matters and witness the play with full attention. It is like the garden bees which on seeing the lotus leave other flowers and come to drink nectar of the lotus.

Chapter Two

Mama cha yah avybhichrena bhakti yogena sevate,

Sa gunan samatitya etan Brahmabhuyaya kalpate.

- Gita 14:26

[He who serves Me with unswerving devotion goes beyond the three gunas, and is fit to become Brahman.]

Conversation with bhaktas

With a smiling face, Sri Ramakrishna looks at Shivanath and other bhaktas. Says he, “I say, this is Shivanath! You see, you are a bhakta, I feel very happy to see you. This is the nature of all those who are addicted to smoking hemp. Such a smoker feels happy when he meets another like him. He may perhaps embrace him.” (Shivanath and all others laugh.) Nature of a worldly man - the great importance of Name

“When I see a person whose mind is not in the Lord, I tell him, ‘Please go and sit there.’ Or I say, ‘See what a beautiful building this is! (Rani Rasmani’s Kali Temple, etc.) Go and see

it. (All laugh.)

“And I see there are persons of non-serious nature who come with the bhaktas. They are very worldly-minded and do not like talk about the Lord. Perhaps they (bhaktas) would be talking of the Lord for long. On the other hand, these men cannot sit for long and feel restless. Again and again these people whisper into their ears, ‘When are you leaving, when?’ Perhaps the latter sometimes tell, ‘Wait for a while, we shall be leaving shortly.’ Then these people get indifferent and say, ‘All right, you carry on. We are going and sitting in the boat.’ (All laugh.)

“If you ask worldly people to renounce all and devote themselves at the feet of the Lord, they do not listen to you. That is why, to attract worldly people Gaur and Nitai, the two brothers, made a proposition after consulting each other, ‘Soup of magur fish, embrace of a young woman, and repeat the name of Hari.’ In the beginning, so many people came to repeat the name of Hari tempted by the first two. Then having tasted a bit of the nectar of Hari’s name they realized that the fish soup was nothing compared to the tears falling in the love of Hari; that ‘a young woman’ meant the earth and ‘embrace of a young woman’ meant to roll about in the dust in the love of Hari.

“Nitai, somehow, used to find some way to make one repeat the name of Hari. Chaitanya

Deva said that there is great importance of the Name of the Lord. It may not show immediate result but sooner or later it does yield fruit. As for example, somebody kept a seed on the cornice of a house. After a long time, the house

fell down. The seed then fell on the ground, developed into a tree and bore fruit too.”

Man’s nature and the three gunas - sattva, rajas and tamas of bhakti

“Just as there are three gunas (qualities) of sattva, rajas and tamas in the worldly people, in the same way there are three gunas of sattva, rajas and tamas of bhakti too.

“Do you know, what kind of sattva quality of the worldly man is? His house lies crumbled at places but he would not get it repaired. The pigeons purge in the vestibule of the shrine and moss is growing in the courtyard, yet he is not aware of this. Household goods have grown old but no care to set them right. He lives with just a pair of clothes that he has. Such a man is very calm, polite, compassionate and simple. He does not do any harm to anybody.

“There are signs of rajoguna also in a worldly man. A watch, a chain of the watch and two or three rings on his fingers. Household goods quite tip top. On the wall there will be picture of the queen, picture of the prince, or picture of some great person. House well plastered and so forth as if no stain anywhere. Various superior

clothes, uniforms of servants and maids and all such things would be there.

“Tamoguna of the worldly man has also its signs: Sleep, lust, anger, pride and the rest.

“Bhakti can also be of sattvic type. The bhakta who possesses the quality of sattva meditates secretly. He perhaps meditates inside his mosquito net. Everybody thinks, ‘He is in sleep. It appears he could not sleep at night so he is late in rising.’ And his attachment to his

body is only to the extent of filling his stomach

- if he can have rice with spinach (a simple

food), it suffices for him. There is no sophistication in his meals, nor in his dress; his

household furniture is not polished. And a sattvic bhakta never flatters anybody for money.

“When a person has bhakti of the rajasic type, maybe he has a holy mark on his forehead and

rosary of rudraksha [2]; perhaps gold beads are strung in between the rosary. (Everybody laughs.) When he worships the deity, he clads himself in a silk dhoti?”

a

Chapter Three

Klaibyam ma sma gamah partha na etat tvayi upapadyate,

Kshuram hridya daurbalyam tyaktva uttishtha paramtapa.

- Gita 2:3

[O Partha (Arjuna), do not yield to feebleness. It does not befit you. Give up petty faint- heartedness and arise, O vanquisher of foes!]

The great importance of Name and sin - three kinds of teachers

Sri Ramakrishna — A man having bhakti of tamas type has a burning faith. Such a bhakta forces the Lord like a dacoit forcing one to part with his wealth. ‘Kill, cut him down, tie him,’ such is the disposition of a dacoit.

Sri Ramakrishna raises his eyes and sings in a voice infused with love -

What need of Ganga, Prabhas, Kashi, Kanchi if the lips can utter ‘Kali, Kali’ when my life ebbs out?

He who utters Kali in all the three sandhyas [3]needs no daily ritualistic worship.

Worship itself follows his footsteps but can never overtake him.

He can no longer take to charity, kindness and vows.

For Madan, the poet, all worship means the red feet of the Blissful Mother.

Who can know the qualities of the holy name of Kali,

The praises of which are sung by the God of the gods, Mahadeva Himself?

Thakur sings intoxicated in bhava as if he is

initiated in agnimantra [4]-

Mother, if I die with the Name of Durga on my lips,

I shall see, O Shankari, how you shall not redeem me?

“Why! I have chanted Her name - how can there be any sin in me? I am Her son! I am eligible to Her wealth (power and glory). Such must be the spirit.

“If you can give a turn to your tamoguna, you can realize the Lord. Forcing demands on Him! He is no stranger, He is indeed our own person. And see, the quality of tamas can be used for the welfare of others.

“There are three types of physicians - superior, mediocre and inferior. The physician who comes, feels the patient’s pulse and then says to him, ‘Brother, please take the medicine,’ and leaves, he is an inferior type of physician. He doesn’t care to find out if the patient has taken the medicine. The physician who persuades the patient in many ways to take the medicine, who says in a sweet voice, ‘O brother, how can you be cured unless you take the medicine? Dear brother, please take it. See I myself mix it for you. Now take it,’ is a mediocre physician. And the physician who sees that the patient is stubbornly refusing to take the medicine, puts his knee on the patient’s chest and forces the medicine down his throat is the superior type of

physician. This is the tamoguna of the physician. This quality does good to the patient, it does not harm him.

“Like the physicians acharyas (religious teachers) are also of three types. Those who instruct their disciples on spiritual matters and then make no inquiries about their progress are

inferioracharyas.Those who repeat their teachings again and again for the good of their disciples so that they may internalize the instructions, make requests in various ways and show love are mediocre acharyas. And the type of acharyas who use force when they find that the disciples do not listen in any way them I call superior acharyas.”

Chapter Four

Yato vacho nivarttante aprapya mansa saha.

- Taittiriya Upanishad 2 :4

[Where mind and speech cannot reach.]

What Brahman is cannot be expressed by speech

A Brahmo bhakta asked, “Is the Lord with form or formless?”

Sri Ramakrishna — One cannot reach the end of God. He is formless and then with form too. For a bhakta He is with form. For a jnani, that is to say, for him who takes the world like a dream, He is formless. The bhakta thinks that

he is one and the world another, that is why the Lord manifests Himself to him as ‘Personal God.’ Jnanis such as the Vedantins reason, ‘Not this, not this.’ By so reasoning the jnani

has the bodhebodha [5]that his individuality is an illusion and so the world is like a dream. The jnani has the bodhebodha of Brahman (understands Brahman with his intellect). What God is, he just cannot express by the word of mouth.

“Do you know how is this? It is like the shoreless ocean of Sachchidananda (Existence- Knowledge-Bliss Absolute). Water in it turns into ice at places with the cold of bhakti. This ice takes a form. In other words, at times He manifests and takes a physical form before the bhakta. When the sun of jnana rises, the ice melts. Then the Lord does not appear like a person. Also His form is not visible. What He is cannot be expressed in words. And who is there to express God? He who is to describe is himself not there. Search as much as you like you cannot trace the I-ness.

“When one goes on reasoning, the I-ness vanishes completely. First you peel off the outer red skin of onion, then the soft white one. Continuing to peel in this way, nothing of the onion remains.

“When the I-ness vanishes, who remains there to look for it? Who is there to tell in what way comes the bodhebodha of the real nature of

Brahman?

“A salt doll went to measure the ocean. As soon as it went in the ocean, it melted and became one with it. So, who remained to come and give the information?

“It is the sign of purna jnana (ultimate knowledge) that man becomes silent on attaining it. Then the salt doll of I-ness gets dissolved in the sea of Sachchidananda, not a trace of the perception of difference remains then.

“So long as reasoning is not over, man continues to indulge in voluble discussions. But no sooner does it stop, he becomes silent. When the pitcher is full of water the water in it and that of the pond becomes one and all gurgling stops. There is sound only till the pitcher is full.

“People used to say in the olden days that the ship does not return back if it reaches ‘Dark waters.’ ”

But I-ness does not vanish

“When the I-ness dies, all troubles cease. Reason you may a thousand times, I-ness does not vanish. For you and me it is good to cherish the idea of ‘I am bhakta.’

“For a bhakta Brahman is saguna (with qualities). In other words, God is with qualities and He is visible as a person with a form. It is

He Who listens to prayers. All your prayers are addressed to Him alone. You are not the Vedantins either, nor are you jnanis, you are bhaktas. Whether you accept God with form or not, it does not matter. It is enough to understand that the Lord is a person who listens to your prayers, who creates, preserves and dissolves, a person who is infinitely powerful.

“It is only by the path of bhakti that you can easily reach Him.’’

Chapter Five

Bhakta tv ananyaya shakya aham evamvidhah Arjuna,

Jnatum drahtum cha tattvena praveshtum cha paramtapa.

- Gita 11:54

[But by unswerving devotion can I, of this form, be known and seen in reality and also entered, O scorcher of foes.]

Vision of God - with form or without form

A Brahmo bhakta asked, “Sir, can we see the Lord? If so, why don’t we see Him?”

Sri Ramakrishna — Yes surely, He can be seen. He is seen with form and He is seen without form too. How can I explain this to you!

The Brahmo Bhakta — By which method can one see Him?

SriRamakrishna—Can you weep longingly for Him?

“People shed pitcherful of tears for son, wife and money. But who cries for the Lord? So long as the baby remains cajoled with his pap, his mother attends to all her household chores like cooking, etc. But when the child has no more liking for the pap and throwing it away begins to scream, the mother takes down the rice pan off the fire, comes running and picks up the baby in her arms.”

The Brahmo bhakta — Sir, why are there so many beliefs concerning the Lord’s form? Some say that God is with form, some say that He is formless. And even among believers in God with form, we hear of so many different forms. Why such a confusion?

Sri Ramakrishna — Whichever form of God a bhakta sees, he believes in that alone. In reality, there is no confusion. If He is attained by any means, He will Himself explain everything. If you have never been to a particular residential quarter, how can you know everything about it?

“Listen to a story. A man went out to answer the call of nature. He saw a bird perched on a tree. On his return he said to another man, ‘See,

I saw a beautiful red coloured bird on that tree.’ The other man replied, ‘When I went there to answer the call of nature, I also saw it. But it is not of red colour, it is green.’ Yet another man said, ‘No, no, I also saw it. It is yellow.’ In the same manner many others said, ‘No, it is of tobacco, brinjal, blue colour and so on.’ All this resulted in a quarrel. Then they went to the foot of the tree and saw a man sitting there. When asked he said, ‘I live under this tree. I know the bird very well. Whatever you are saying is all true. It is sometimes red, sometimes green, sometimes yellow, sometimes blue and also of many more colours. See, it has many colours. Besides, at times I find that it has no colour at all. Now it is with qualities, now without qualities.’

“It means that the man who is always thinking of the Lord can only know His real nature. He alone knows that He is seen in different forms and in different moods. He is with qualities and also He is without qualities. It is only he who lives under the tree, knows that the variegated bird has different hues, and that sometimes it has no colour at all. Other people just argue, quarrel and trouble themselves.

“Kabir used to say, ‘The One without form is my Father, with form my Mother.’

“God grants darshan to the bhakta in the form he loves most - gracious loving Lord of the bhakta as He is. The Purana says that God

assumed the form of Rama for the sake of heroic bhakta Hanuman.”

Explanation of the forms of Kali and Shyama - the Infinite is not comprehensible

“In Vedanta philosophy there are no forms and the like. Its ultimate principle is that Brahman is the only Reality and the phenomenal universe constituting the names and forms illusory. So long as one cherishes the idea that ‘I am a bhakta,’ there is a possibility of getting the vision of the form of the Lord and seeing Him as a person. Looking at it with the perspective of reasoning, the feeling of ‘I am the bhakta’ keeps him somewhat away from Him.

“Why are the forms of Kali and Shyama three and a half cubits tall? It is because of the distance. On account of distance, the sun seems small. If you go near, it will look big beyond your imagination. And why is the complexion of Kali, or Shyama black? That, too, on account of distance. For example, water in a lake appears green, blue or black from a distance. But if you go near and take some water in your palm, you will find that it is colourless. The sky from a distance appears blue. But if you go near it, it has no colour.

“So I say that according to the Vedanta philosophy, Brahman is without attributes.

What Its real nature is like cannot be expressed in words. But so long as you are real, the world is also real. The names and forms of the Lord are also real, taking Him as a person is real too.

“For you there is the path of bhakti. It is a very good and easy path. Can the Infinite Lord be known? Besides, where is the need to know Him? Having the rare privilege of been born as a man, we should develop devotion at His lotus feet by all means possible.

“If I can quench my thirst with one pot of water, what need is there for me to measure the quantity of water in the tank? I get intoxicated with half a bottle of wine what need is there to know how many maunds of wine there is in the wine shop? So, what is the need to know the Infinite?”

Chapter Six

Yas tv atmaratir eva syad atmatriptas cha manavah,

Atmany eva cha samtushtas tasya karyam na vidyate.

- Gita 3:17

[But the man who rejoices in the Self, is satisfied with the Self and is centred in the Self, there remains no obligatory duty for him.]

Signs of God-realization - seven planes and the knowledge of Brahman

Sri Ramakrishna — The Vedas describe the different states of a Brahmajnani. However, this path, the path of jnana, is a very difficult path. If the least trace of worldly wisdom, or that of attachment to ‘women and gold’ persists one cannot attain jnana. This path is not for the

age of Kali.

“The Vedas talk of the seven planes in relation to this. These are the seven states of the mind. When the mind is attached to the world, it has its location in the generative organ, rectum and naval. The mind does not look upward in this state, its only concern is ‘woman and gold’. The fourth plane of the mind is the heart. It is here that the mind gains initial awareness. One sees light all around. Seeing the divine light, he is amazed and exclaims, ‘What is this! What is this!’ The mind then does not go downwards (towards the world).

“The fifth plane of the mind is the throat. When the mind of a person rises to the throat, he loses all his ignorance and illusion. He does not then like to talk or hear anything except about the Lord. If someone talks of other matters, he leaves that place. The sixth plane of the mind is the forehead. When the mind reaches there, one sees a divine form all the twenty four hours a day. However, a bit of I- ness subsists even then. Such a person feels intoxicated at the vision of that supreme and

unique form. He tries to touch and embrace this form but cannot. It is like the light in the lantern. One feels that one can touch the light but because of the glass in between, one cannot touch it. In the top of the head is the seventh plane. When the mind rises to it, one goes into samadhi and the Brahmajnani has direct vision of Brahman. But in this state the body does not last for many days. He always remains unconscious, he can eat nothing and if milk is poured into his mouth it runs out. On this plane, the man dies in twenty one days. This is the state of the Brahmajnani. For you is the path of bhakti - it is a very good and easy path.

Actions drop out after samadhi - the earlier story of his life - how Thakur gave up karmas like tarpan [6]

“All actions drop out after samadhi. Actions like puja (worship), japa and all other worldly activities drop off. In the beginning one is overactive with karmas (works) but as the man advances towards the Lord, the display of karmas becomes less - so much so that even singing of His names and glories ceases. (To Shivanath) Till you did not reach the meeting, people talked so much of your good name, qualities and so on. But as soon as you arrived, all that stopped. Now everybody takes joy only

at your sight. And people then say, ‘Here, here comes Shivanath Babu.’ All other talk about you stops.

“After this state of mine, I noticed at the time of performing tarpan with Ganga water that it was trickling down my fingers. I began to cry and asked Haladhari, ‘Brother, what has happened?’ Haladhari told me that it is called galitahasta (fingers of the hand remain apart). After the vision of the Lord, actions like tarpan drop out.

In the sankirtan one first sing, ‘Nitai is my mad elephant.’ As this mood deepens, one simply utters, ‘Elephant, elephant.’ Next it is only, ‘Elephant.’ And lastly while saying, ‘Ele,’ one goes into bhava samadhi. Then the man who was singing says not a word.

“It is the same as in a feast given to the brahmins. In the beginning there is so much of activity. When they sit down with a leaf plate in front, much of the noise ceases. One hears only, ‘Bring some puris, bring some here.’ And again, when they begin eating puris and vegetables, seventy five percent of the noise subsides. When they have curds, you can hear only one sound, ‘Sup sup’ (of smacking their lips). (All laugh.) It is right to say that nobody utters a word. The feast over, the next step is to go to sleep. Then it is absolute silence.

“Therefore I say that in the beginning there is so much of activity. The more you advance on the path of the Lord, the lesser the karma becomes. At the end, all karmas drop and it is followed by samadhi.

“When the housewife is in her family way, her mother•in-law reduces her duties. In the tenth month, she is almost free from work. When the child is born, there is complete renunciation of work. The mother has only to look after the baby. All chores in the household are attended to by the mother-in-law, the husband’s sister, or his elder sister-in-law.”

The avatara and the like live after samadhi for instruction of mankind

“After samadhi the general rule is that the person dies. But some persons like Narada and avataras like Chaitanya Deva live for instructing mankind. After digging the well, some people send off the spade and the basket. There are some who keep them thinking that these may perhaps be needed by their neighbours. In the same way, the mahapurushas (high spiritual personalities) feel greatly concerned for the troubles of common man. They are not so selfish so as to be satisfied with their own attainment of jnana. You know well how the selfish people behave. If you ask them to urinate here, they won’t lest it should later do you good. (All laugh.) If you

ask them to bring sandesh for a pice from a shop, they will lick it on their way. (All laugh.)

“There is special manifestation of divine power in some. A man of ordinary calibre is afraid of imparting instruction to others. Habate wood (worn out wood) may itself float on the water somehow, but it sinks the moment a bird sits on it. Sages like Narada are bahaduri wood (logs of wood). This wood not only floats on the water, but can also carry men, bullocks and even elephants.”

[I rejoice that I have seen what was never seen before, but my mind is confounded with fear. Show me that form only, O God, have mercy, O God of gods, O Abode of the Universe.]

Prayer system of Brahmo Samaj and talk on Lord’s splendour and glory The earlier story of his life - theft of an ornament from Radhakanta Temple in Dakshineswar

Sri Ramakrishna (to Shivanath) — Yes, my dear sir, why do you dwell so much on glories and splendour of the Lord? I said the same to

Keshab Sen. One day they all came here to the Kali Temple. I said, ‘I would like to hear how you lecture.’ A meeting was then arranged in the chandni (porch) on the Ganga ghat and Keshab began to lecture. He spoke so well; I went into samadhi. Later on, I said to Keshab, ‘Why do you so much talk of all this: O Lord, what beautiful flowers You have made! You have created the sky, the stars, the sea and so on!’ Those who love splendour, love to talk about the Lord’s splendour. When the Radhakanta’s ornament was stolen, Sejo Babu (son-in-law of Rasmani) went to the Radhakanta Temple and said to the deity, ‘Fie on you, Thakur (god)! You could not guard your own ornaments!’ I said to Sejo Babu, ‘What an intelligence you have! He who has Lakshmi herself for His handmaid, He whose feet she massages, how can He lack splendour? The jewellery is something very precious for you, but for the Lord it is just a few clods of earth. Fie on you! You should not talk so unintelligently. What riches can you give to God?’ That is why I say that a man seeks a person whom he finds joy. What use it is to find out from him where he lives, how many buildings and gardens he possesses, how much wealth, how many relatives, male and female servants he has? When I see Narendra, I forget everything. I have never asked him even by mistake where he lives, what is his father, how many brothers he has and so on. Dive deep into

the sweetness of the Lord. What need is there for us to find out about God’s infinite creation, His limitless splendour!”

Sri Ramakrishna again sings the same song full of sweetness with a voice that excels the

Gandharvas [7]-

Dive deep, dive deep, dive deep, O my mind into the sea of Beauty.

Make a search in the regions lower and lower down under the sea;

You will come by the jewel, the wealth of prema (intense love of God).

Within your heart is Vrindavan, the abode of God who is love.

Search and look; search and look; search and look. You will find it.

Then shall burn without ceasing the lamp of divine wisdom.

Who is that Being that does steer the boat on land - on land, on solid ground?

“Even so, after the vision of God, the bhakta wants to witness His leela. After slaying Ravana, Ramachandra entered Lanka. Nikasha, Ravana’s old mother, tried to run away. Lakshman said, ‘Brother Rama, just see how strange it is! This Nikasha is such an old woman, she has suffered so much on the loss of

her sons, yet she is so afraid of losing her own life and is taking to her heels.’ Ramachandra giving assurance of safety to Nikasha called her to his presence and asked her about it. She replied, ‘Rama, I have been able to see all this leela of Yours because I am alive for all these days. I want to live longer so that I may witness more of it.’ (All laugh.)

(To Shivanath) “I desire to see you. What shall I live for if I don’t see the pure souled ones? Reason? I feel the pure souled ones as the friends of my previous incarnation.”

A Brahmo bhakta asks, “Sir, do you believe in rebirth?”

Rebirth - Bahune me vyatitani janmani lava cha

Arjuna [8]

Sri Ramakrishna — Yes, they say there is rebirth. How can we of tiny intellect understand the actions of the Lord? Many people have said so, that is why I do not disbelieve. Bhishma Deva lay dying on his bed of arrows. All the Pandavas are standing with Sri Krishna. They see tears flowing from the eyes of Bhishma Deva. Arjuna says to Sri Krishna, ‘Brother, how strange it is! Pitamah, who is Bhishma Deva himself, truthful, has conquered his

senses, a jnani and one of the eight Vasus [9], even he is weeping at the time of his death because of maya. When Sri Krishna asked

Bhishma about it, Bhishma replied, ‘Sri Krishna! You know very well that I am not weeping because of this. When I see that there is no end to the sufferings even of the Pandavas who have Bhagavan Himself as their charioteer, I weep thinking that I have not been able to understand anything of the ways of Bhagavan.’

In the joy of kirtan with the bhaktas

Now the evening worship begins in the Samaj building. It is about half past eight at night. At four or five dandas after the evening the night is lit with the moonlight. It is as if the trees and the leaves of the creepers in the garden begin to float in the clear autumnal moonbeams. In the meanwhile, sankirtan starts in the prayer hall. Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna is dancing intoxicated in the love of Hari. Brahmo bhaktas holding drums and cymbals are dancing around him. All are intoxicated in bhava as if having the vision of Sri Bhagavan. The tune of Hari’s name is going a crescendo. The villagers all around listen the name of Hari with their minds full of gratitude for Veni Madhava, the devotee owner of the garden.

At the end of the kirtan, Sri Ramakrishna prostrates on the ground to offer his obeisance to the Mother of the Universe. While offering his obeisance says he, “Bhagavata bhakta Bhagavan! Salutations at the feet of jnanis, salutations at the feet of bhaktas, salutations at the feet of the bhaktas of God with form, salutations at the feet of the bhaktas of the formless God, salutations at the feet of the

Brahmajnanis of yore, salutations at the feet of the Brahmajnanis of today’s Brahmo Samaj.”

Veni Madhava had made provisions for various kinds of delicious dishes that he fed to all the assembled bhaktas to their full satisfaction. Sri Ramakrishna also partakes of

the prasad [10]full of joy in the company of the bhaktas.

[1]Singing of hymns and devotional songs

[2]A kind of dried fruit used as a bead

[3]At dawn, noon and twilight hour

[4]A mantra that makes one determined to achieve an extremely difficult and daunting task

[5]Bodhebodha is the intellectual, literal, imaginative, inner feeling of the real nature of Brahman (Atman, Bhagavan). The Vedanta illustrates it in this way (taken from Vol. III of Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita, 24 August, 1882): A babu is lying in a room in the dark. Somebody gropes in the dark to reach him. His hand touches a couch and he says, ‘No, this is not he.’ Then he touches the window. This too is not he. Then he touches the door and again says to himself, ‘No, not he.’ ‘Not this, not this, not this.’ At last his hand does touch the babu. Then he says, ‘That's it. He is the babu’ - it means that he has realized that ‘the babu is’. He has reached the babu but hasn't known him intimately.

[The Atman is neither born nor does it die. Coming into being and ceasing to be do not take place in it. Unborn, eternal, constant and ancient, it is not killed when the body is slain.]

Is it suicide if a liberated person terminates his life?

Vijaykrishna Goswami has come to see Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna in the Kali Temple at Dakshineswar. He is accompanied by three or four Brahmo bhaktas. It is the month of Agrahayana, the fourth day of the bright fortnight, Thursday, 14 December 1882. These people have come from Calcutta by boat with Balaram, the great devotee of the Paramahansa Deva. Sri Ramakrishna at that time was resting for a while at midday. It is on Sundays that people come in large numbers. However, bhaktas who want to have personal talk with him usually come on other days.

The Paramahansa Deva is seated on the wooden cot. Vijay, Balaram, M. and some other bhaktas

are sitting on a mat while others are seated on the bare floor in front of Thakur facing west. Bhagirathi (the Ganga) is seen from the western door of the room. Winter time waters of Bhagirathi are steady and limpid. Just beyond the door is the western semi-circular verandah. Beyond it are the flower gardens followed by the embankment. Along the western side of the embankment flows the holy Ganga, redeemer of the sins, as if washing joyfully the feet of the temple of the Lord.

It is winter, so all are clad in woollen clothes. Vijay is suffering from acute colic pain, so he has brought medicine with him in a small glass bottle. He will take the medicine when due. Nowadays Vijay is a paid preacher in the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. He has to deliver sermons from the pulpit of the Samaj. So, he has controversies with the Samaj on different matters these days. He has accepted the assignment, so he is helpless. He is not free to act and express his independent views. Vijay comes from a very pious family - from the family of Advaita Goswami. Advaita Goswami was a jnani. He meditated upon the formless Brahman and at the same time he showed the highest excellence of bhakti. He was a chief intimate disciple of Bhagavan Chaitanya Deva. He used to dance mad in the love of Hari. When he danced he would lose his entity so much that even the cloth that he was wearing would slip down. Vijay too has joined the Brahmo Samaj. Here he meditates on the formless Para Brahman. But the blood of the great bhakta Advaita Goswami, his ancestor, flows through his veins. So, the seed of Hari’s love lies ready to sprout within him, only the right time is awaited. That is why he has been charmed on seeing the state of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna of being deep drunk in the divine

love for Hari, the state that is rare even amongst gods. Just as the snake charmed by the music keeps sitting beside the snake charmer, Vijay too charmed by the Bhagavata (divine words) issuing out of the hallowed lips of the Paramahansa Deva keeps sitting by his side. And when he dances like a child in the love of Hari, Vijay too dances with him.

Vishnu’s house is in Ariadaha, he has committed suicide by cutting his throat with a knife. Today his topic comes up first.

Sri Ramakrishna (to Vijay, M. and other bhaktas) — See, this boy has terminated his life. When I heard it, I felt very bad. He used to come here, he was a schoolboy but he would often say that he had no liking for the world. He had lived with some relatives for a few days in the West (in the west of Bengal, i.e. Uttar Pradesh or Punjab etc.). He would occasionally meditate sitting in some solitary plain, forest or hill. He used to tell me that he had strange visions of various forms of the Lord.

“I believe that it was his last birth. In his previous birth he had done much of the work, some was left undone. It appears that he accomplished that much in this life.

“One must believe in the sanskaras [1]of the previous lives. They say that a man was practising shava sadhana (spiritual discipline on a corpse). Seated in a deep forest he was worshipping Bhagavati (the Divine Mother). But he started having frightful visions and in the end

a tiger carried him away. There was another man who had climbed up a nearby tree for fear of the tiger. Seeing a dead body and ready arrangements for worship he came down, took some holy water and sat on the corpse. He had performed only a little japa when Bhagavati appeared before him and said, ‘I am pleased with you. Ask for a boon.’ Paying obeisance at the lotus feet of the Mother, he said, ‘Mother, I just ask you one thing. I am amazed at Your action. After making so many arrangements, this man had been practising sadhana laboriously for so many days, but You did not bless him. On the other hand, I know nothing, hear nothing, never repeat Your name, nor practise any spiritual discipline, have no spiritual knowledge, no bhakti - still I am receiving so much of Your grace!’ Bhagavati laughed as she said, ‘Child, you don’t remember your past lives. You did sadhana for Me during so many births. It is because of the strength of that sadhana that all these things were arranged for you, it is also for that reason that you are blessed with My vision. Now speak out, what boon do you want?’

A bhakta says, “I feel frightened to hear of the suicide.”

Sri Ramakrishna — Suicide is a great sin, one will have to return to this world again and again and suffer its trials and tribulations.

“Even so if a person terminates his life after having the vision of the Lord, it is not suicide.

There is no harm in giving up the body that way. Some people terminate their lives after attaining jnana. When a gold image has been cast in an earthen mould, the mould may be preserved, or may be cracked and thrown away.

“Many years ago, a boy used to come here from Barahnagar. He was about twenty years old. His name was Gopal Sen. When he would come here, he used to experience such deep emotions that Hriday had to hold him - later he fell and broke his limbs. The boy suddenly touched my feet and said, ‘Sir, I shall not be able to come here any more. So I take your leave.’ A few days later I heard that he had given up his body.

Chapter Two

Anityam asukham lokam imam prapya bhjasva man.

-

(Gita

9:33)

[Having come to this transitory and miserable world, worship Me.]

Four classes of men - attachment to ‘woman and gold’ is the sign of worldly man

Sri Ramakrishna — Four classes of human beings have been stated - the bound souls, the seekers after liberation, the liberated and the ever free. The world is like the fishing net, the jiva

(individual soul) like the fish and the Lord (whose maya constitutes the world) is the fisherman. When fishes fall into the fisherman’s net many of them try to tear the net to escape, i.e. they try to free themselves. They are like the men seeking liberation. However, all those who try to escape cannot run away. Only a few fishes slip out with a splash. Then people call out, ‘There goes the big fish.’ Such two or four beings are the liberated ones. Some fishes are so cautious by nature that they never fall into the net. Narada and such other saints are ever free; they never fall in the net of the world. However, most of the fish keep lying in the net unaware of the fact that they have fallen into a net and will die. Remaining in the net, they dart straight ahead taking the net along and try to hide their body into the mud. They make no attempt to escape, rather they fall deeper into the mud. They are like the bound souls. They live in the net and think, ‘We are quite happy here.’ The bound jivas remain attached to the world that is to ‘woman and gold’. They remain sunk in the sea of evil and think that they are very happy there. Those who seek for liberation and those who are liberated look upon the world as a death well, they don’t like it. So, some of them having attained jnana and the vision of Bhagavan give up their bodies. However, giving up body in this way is a far cry.

“The bound creatures, the worldly men, don’t get awareness by any means. They suffer so much

misery, so many trials, and so many sorrows; even then they don’t get awakening.

“The camel likes thorny bushes but the more it eats, the more it bleeds from its face. Even so, it continues to eat the same thorny bush and does not leave it. The worldly man suffers so much agony, so much sorrow, yet he reverts back to his old self quite soon. Perhaps his wife has died or she has proved faithless to him, yet he marries again. Perhaps he has lost his son and suffered so much of sorrow, yet he forgets all this in a few days. The mother of this boy, who was beside herself with grief, ties up her hair again and bedecks herself with jewellery. In the same way though people spend all in the marriage of their daughters, they continue giving birth to more children year after year. They lose all in litigation. Yet they again go to law! They cannot feed the children they have, neither can they educate them, nor can they look after them properly, still they beget more children every year.

“At times, their state can be likened to that of the snake trying to swallow the mole. The snake cannot swallow the mole, nor can it give it up. The bound soul may have realized that there is no substance in the world - that it is like a hog plum that has nothing but stone and skin - yet he cannot give it up. Even though he cannot turn his mind towards the Lord.

“A relative of Keshab Sen, fifty years old, was playing cards, as if time was not yet ripe for him

to think of the Lord.

“The bound jiva has yet another sign. If he is lifted from worldly life to a better place, he will pine away to death. The worm of faeces feels pleasure in the excreta alone; it is only there that it thrives. If you put it in a pot of rice, it will die.” (All laugh.)

Chapter Three

Asanshayam mahabaho mano durnigraham chalam,

Abhyasena tu Kaunteya vairagyena cha grihyate.

- Gita 6:35

[O mighty armed, the mind is undoubtedly restless and hard to control, but by practice and non-attachment, O son of Kunti, it can be controlled.]

Deep vairagya (dispassion) and worldly man

Vijay — What must be the state of mind of a bound soul for attaining salvation?

Sri Ramakrishna — By the grace of the Lord when one develops deep vairagya (non- attachment; dispassion), one can be freed from this attachment of ‘woman and gold’. What is deep vairagya? Whatever is going on let it be; you just go on repeating the name of the Lord - this is mild vairagya. He who has deep dispassion, his prana (life breath) becomes

restless for Bhagavan - like the mother for the child in her womb. He who has deep dispassion does not want anything but Bhagavan. He sees the world as a deep well, a death well. He feels he is perhaps drowned. He looks upon his owns as venomous snakes. He always wants to run away from them. And he does run away. He does not think, ‘Let me first arrange for my family. I will then think of the Lord.’ He has great will

power.

“What is deep dispassion like? Listen to a story. Once there was a drought in a certain region. All the farmers were digging canals to bring water from afar. A farmer had great determination. One day he resolved that he would go on digging till water from the river flowed along the whole canal. And here the time came for his bath. His wife sent him some oil through her daughter. The daughter said to him, ‘Father, it is time for your bath. Massage your body with the oil and take your bath.’ He replied, ‘Please go away, I have some work to do.’ It was past midday. The farmer is still at work in his field, forgetting all about his bath. Now his wife came to the field and said, ‘Why haven’t you taken your bath yet? Your rice is getting cold. You are always over doing things. If the work is not yet accomplished, do it tomorrow, or do it after your meals.’ Taking the spade in his hand the farmer hurled some abuses at her and made her run away. And said he to her, ‘You have no sense. There have been no rains. There is no crop. What

will the children eat? Without food, we shall all starve to death this time. I have vowed that I shall bring water to the field today, after that I shall think of bath and food.’ Seeing his mood and determination, the woman ran away. The farmer worked very hard throughout the day and joined the canal to the river in the evening. He then sat on its bank and enjoyed seeing the river water gurgling in the field. He was now at peace and full of happiness. He went home and calling his wife he said to her, ‘Now bring some oil and prepare a smoke.’ Then in a carefree mood he took his bath, ate his meals and snored happily in his bed. This kind of determination is an illustration of deep vairagya.

“And there was another farmer, he was also bringing water to his field. His wife went and said to him, ‘It is already late. Come on now, there is no need to work so hard.’ Without saying much in protest, this fellow put down his spade saying, ‘Since you say so, I am coming.’ (All laugh.) This farmer then could never bring water to his field. This is the example of mild vairagya.

“Just as without great determination water did not reach the field of the farmer, in the same way the man does not attain the Lord.”

Chapter Four

Apuryamanam achalapratishtam samudram apah pravishanti yadvat,

Tadvat kama yam pravishanti sarve sa shantim

apnoti na kamakami.

- Gita 2:70

[He unto whom all desires enter as all waters enter into the sea, which is always full and motionless, attains peace and not he who desires all desires.]

Slaving for ‘woman and gold’

Sri Ramakrishna (to Vijay) — You used to come here so often, why not now?

Vijay — Sir, I so much desire to come here but I am not free. I have accepted work in the Brahmo Samaj.

Sri Ramakrishna (to Vijay) — ‘Woman and gold’ bind the man. One loses one’s freedom. When there is a woman, you need ‘gold’. And for that you have to be a slave of another person. One loses one’s freedom and cannot act as one likes.

“The priests of (the temple of) Govindaji in Jaipur did not marry at first. They had great spiritual and mental powers then. The king once sent for them but they did not go to him. Instead they sent a message: Let the king come here. After consulting his counselors the king arranged for their marriage. Now the king no longer needed to send for them. They would come to him themselves - ‘Sir, I have come to shower my blessings. Here are some sacred flowers, kindly

accept them.’ They had to go to the king for everything: Now for building a house, now for celebrating the rice taking ceremony of their sons, now for putting the children to school and so on.

“Twelve hundred nedas [2]and thirteen hundred

nedis [3]‘tar sakshi udam sari’ - you know this story. Nityananda Goswami’s son Virbhadra had thirteen hundred nedas as his disciples. When they became spiritually perfect, Virbhadra was alarmed. Thought he, ‘They all have become spiritually perfect. Anything they say to people will come to pass. Whichever way they go, they may cause danger. For even if people unknowingly do some wrong, they will come to grief.’ Thinking thus, Virbhadra called them to him and said, ‘Go to the Ganga, perform sandhya and worship and come back.’ The nedas had attained such spiritual perfection that they went into samadhi as they meditated. When the flood tide came they were unaware of it and they remained absorbed in meditation even when the ebb tide receded. Out of thirteen hundred nedas, one hundred anticipated what Virbhadra would ask them to do. One should not disobey one’s preceptor, thinking thus they disappeared and never to go to see Virbhadra. The remaining twelve hundred came to him. Virbhadra said to them, ‘These thirteen hundred nedis will serve you. Please marry them.’ ‘As you please,’ said they, ‘but a hundred of us have left.’ However, with each of these twelve hundred nedas one

nedi began to live as a wife to serve each of them. Now they lessened their spiritual powers and the strength of their austerities notwithstanding. Living with women, they lost their powers because in their company they lost their independence. (To Vijay) You have yourself seen to what a pass you have come by accepting service with others. And see, by accepting job with their masters so many scholars who have studied English and passed so many examinations are trampled every morning and evening under their feet. Reason - only woman. Having married and enjoyed the happy household fair, they cannot now pull out from it. That’s why, they put with so much of suffering of slavery and humiliation.”

After God realization women are worshipped as Mother

“If you once in this manner develop such deep vairagya and realize the Lord, you no longer have attachment to women. Even if you live in the household, you don’t feel attraction for

women; there is no danger from them. Say, there

is one big magnet and the other is a small one.

Which one will pull the iron? Surely, the big one will pull. The Lord is a big magnet. Compared to Him, woman is a small magnet. What can woman do?

A Bhakta — Sir, should we hate women?

Sri Ramakrishna — Those who have realized the Lord, do not look upon women the other way. So, where is the cause of fear for them? They actually see that women are a portion of the Mother of the Universe. So, they worship them all as the Mother. (To Vijay) Do come here sometimes. I very much like to see you.

Chapter Five

The real acharya is he who has received the commandment of the Lord

Vijay — I have to do the work of the Brahmo Samaj. So, I cannot often come here. I shall visit whenever possible.

Sri Ramakrishna (to Vijay) — Look here, the task of an acharya (religious teacher) is very difficult. Public instruction cannot be imparted without having direct commandment from the Lord.

“If ones preaches without receiving the commandment, people do not listen. Such a teaching carries no force. First of all, one should attain the Lord by practising religious disciplines or by any possible means. Then one may teach after receiving His command. In that village (in Thakur’s native village) there is a pond called Haldarpukur. People used to defecate daily on its bank. Those who came to the pond in the morning would use foul language and create so much fuss. These abuses did not help; next day

again defecation on the bank. At last, a peon from the Company (Municipality) put up a notice there: ‘This place must not be used for this purpose. Defaulters will be prosecuted.’ After this notice nobody defecated there.

“After receiving His commandment one can become an acharya (religious teacher) and deliver a lecture anywhere. He who receives His commandment also receives power from Him. He can then perform the difficult task of a religious preceptor.

“An ordinary tenant once went to law against a big landlord. People then knew that there was some powerful man behind the tenant. Perhaps another bigger landlord was fighting the case through this man. Man is insignificant. He cannot perform the difficult duty of a religious teacher without receiving direct power from the Lord.”

Vijay — Sir, don’t the teachings of Brahmo Samaj lead people to liberation?

Sachchidananda Himself is the Guru - It is He who liberates

Sri Ramakrishna — Where is the capacity in man to liberate another from bondage of the world? Only He who is the creator of this world- bewitching maya can liberate man from maya. But for Sachchidananda Guru, there is no refuge. Where is the capacity of those who have neither

realized the Lord, nor received His commandment, nor have become powerful with the power of the Lord to liberate a jiva (embodied soul) from the bondage of the world?

“One day I was going from Panchavati to Jhautala (pine grove) to answer the call of nature. I heard a bullfrog croaking aloud. I learnt that it had been seized by a snake. After quite some time when I was returning, I noticed that the frog was still croaking aloud. I peeped in to see what the matter was. I saw that a dhonda (a kind of poison less) snake had seized the frog. It could neither release it nor swallow it. There was no end to the frog’s agony. Then I said to myself:

Had it been seized by a cobra, the frog would have been silent just after three croaks. But it had been seized by a dhonda! And so the snake was suffering and also the frog.

“If you have a Sadguru (true preceptor), the ego of the jiva ends with just three cries. Andifthe

guru is unripe, both the guru and the disciple undergo suffering. The disciple does not get rid of his ego nor his bondage of the world. Falling in the hands of an unripe guru, the disciple does not attain salvation.”

Liberation or God realization comes as soon as maya or the veil of ego goes

Vijay — Sir, why are we bound like this? Why can’t we see the Lord?

Sri Ramakrishna — The very ego of man is maya. This egotism has veiled everything. ‘All

troubles cease when the I-ness dies.’ If by the

grace of the Lord a man realizes, ‘I am not the

doer,’ he becomes a jivanmukta [4]. He has nothing to fear then.

“The maya or the I-ness is like a cloud. The sun becomes invisible even if there is a patch of cloud. As soon as the cloud passes away, one can see the sun. If by the grace of the Guru the feeling of I-ness vanishes, one realizes the Lord.

“Sri Ramachandra is only two and a half cubits away, he is the Lord Himself. But maya in the

form of Sita stands in between, so the jiva in the form of Lakshman cannot see the Lord. Just see,

I am creating a barrier in front of my face with this hand towel. Now you cannot see me though

I am so near. Similarly, Bhagavan in comparison

to all is so near to us all, even then we cannot see Him due to the veil of maya.

“The jiva is a form of Sachchidananda, but because of maya, or ego it is covered with

various upadhis [5]and it has forgotten its own real Self.

“Every upadhi changes the nature of man. He

who wears a black-bordered dhoti is at once found to hum the love songs of Nidhu, or he begins to play cards, or automatically picks a stick while going for a walk! Even a thin emaciated person begins to whistle as soon as he puts on English type shoes. While climbing the stairs, he jumps from one step to the other like an Englishman. If a man is holding a pen in his hand, such is the nature of a pen that he begins to scribble the moment he finds some piece of paper.

“Money is also a great upadhi. As soon as money comes to a man, he becomes so different - he is no longer the same man.

“A brahmin used to come here. Outwardly he was very humble. After a few days I went to Konnagar. Hriday was with me. As I was landing from the boat, I saw the same brahmin sitting on the bank of the Ganga, perhaps he was enjoying open air. Seeing us he said, ‘I say, how are you Thakur?’ Seeing his tone I said to Hriday, ‘O Hriday, this man has acquired some money. That’s why he is talking this way.’ Hriday laughed.

“A frog had a rupee which he had kept in a pit. An elephant on its way walked over the pit. Rushing out angrily the frog raised its foot at the elephant and said, ‘How dare you walk over me?’ Such is the pride money breeds!”

The Seven Planes - when does I-ness vanish - the state of Brahmajnana

“You can get rid of I-ness when you have attained jnana (spiritual knowledge). On attaining jnana, you go into samadhi. Only in samadhi does I-ness disappear. But it is very difficult to attain this jnana.

“The Vedas say that I-ness vanishes only when the mind ascends to the seventh plane. It is only after attaining samadhi, that I-ness disappears. Where does the mind generally dwell? In the first three planes - at the organs of generation and evacuation, and at the navel. Here the mind remains only attached to the world, to ‘woman and gold’. When the mind dwells in the heart, one sees the divine light. While seeing this light, one exclaims, ‘O, what is this! What is this!’ The next plane is at the throat. On this plane one likes to hear and speak only of the Lord. When the mind goes to the forehead, between the eyebrows, one sees the form of Sachchidananda. One has the desire to embrace and touch this very form, but one cannot. Though the flame in the lantern can be seen but it cannot be touched. You feel as if you are just touching it but you cannot. When the mind ascends to the seventh plane, I-ness vanishes - one goes into samadhi.”

Vijay — When the mind reaches there, one attains Brahmajnana. What does one see there?

Sri Ramakrishna — What happens when the mind ascends to the seventh plane cannot be described by the word of mouth. Once the ship

enters the black waters, it does not return. No information of the ship comes then. So, the ship also does not give any information about the sea.

“Once a salt doll went to fathom the sea. No sooner did it descend than it dissolved into the waters of the sea. Now, who would tell how deep the sea was? The one who was to tell had itself got dissolved. The mind vanishes at the seventh plane and one attains samadhi. What he feels then cannot be described by the word of mouth.”

I-ness does not vanish - the ‘rascal I’ and the ‘servant I’

“The ‘I’ that makes one worldly, attaches one to ‘woman and gold’ is the ‘rascal I’. Because of its intervention the jiva and the atman appear apart. If a stick is put on water, it appears to be divided into two. In reality the water is one but it appears to be two because of the stick.

“I-ness is the stick. Remove the stick, the water will become one as before.

“What is the ‘rascal I’? That which says, ‘Don’t you know me? I have so much money. Who is greater than me?’ If a thief steals ten rupees, first of all this man snatches the money from him and gives him a good beating. He doesn’t leave him even then. He sends for the watchman and handing him over to the police gets him punished. The ‘rascal I’ says, ‘Don’t you know, you stole my ten rupees. Such impertinence!’ ”

Vijay — If without getting rid of I-ness one is not freed from the attachment of the world and does not experience samadhi, it is better to follow the path of Brahmajnana which leads to samadhi. And if the I-ness persists in the path of Bhakti Yoga, it is better to take to the path of Jnana Yoga.

Sri Ramakrishna — May be a person or two can experience samadhi and get rid of their I-ness but usually the I-ness does not go. You may reason in a thousand ways, this I-ness still finds its way to you. Cut the peepal tree today, but tomorrow morning you will see it sprouting again. So, if ‘I’ does not go at all, let the rascal remain as the ‘servant-I’. O, Lord! You are my Master, I am Your servant - live with this attitude. ‘I am the servant,’ ‘I am the bhakta’ - there is no harm in this kind of I-ness. Sweetmeat causes acidity in the stomach. But sugar candy is not counted among sweetmeats.

“Jnana Yoga is very difficult. Jnana cannot be attained without ridding oneself of the conviction that I am the body. In the age of Kali life depends on food. The conviction that I am the body, the feeling of I-ness, does not disappear. So, the path of Bhakti Yoga is enjoined for the age of Kali. Bhakti Yoga is an easy path. If you sing His names and glories, and pray to Him longingly from the core of your heart, you will attain Bhagavan - there is no doubt about it.

“It is like a line drawn on the surface of water

rather than placing a bamboo stick on it. You find that the water has been divided into two parts, but this line does not last. The feeling of the ‘servant-I’ or the ‘I of a bhakta,’ or the ‘I of a child’ is only like a line drawn on water.”

Chapter Seven

Klesho adhikataras tesham avyaktasakta cetasam,

Avyakta hi gatir duhkham dehavabhir avaypate.

- Gita 12:5

[It is more difficult for those whose minds are attached to the Unmanifested because it is very hard for the embodied to reach the goal of the Unmanifested.]

Bhakti Yoga is the law of this age - Jnana Yoga is very difficult - servant I, I of a bhakta, I of a child

Vijay (to Sri Ramakrishna) — Sir, you ask us to renounce the ‘rascal I’. Is there no harm in the ‘servant I’?

Sri Ramakrishna — Yes, one should have this ego - the ‘servant I,’ that is to say I am the servant of the Lord, I am His bhakta. There is no harm in it, it rather leads to God-realization.

Vijay — Well sir, what is the nature of lust and anger of the man having the ‘servant I’?

Sri Ramakrishna — It is only the semblance of

lust and anger in the man if he has the right feeling of it. If he retains the feeling of the ‘servant I,’ or the ‘I of a bhakta’ after having God realization, he can do no harm to others. After the sword has touched the philosopher’s stone, it becomes gold - it only has the semblance of a sword but it does not kill anybody.

“The leaves of a coconut tree dry up and drop down leaving only a mark (on the stem). One can make out from these marks that there were once palm leaves there. Similarly, the ego of the one who has realized the Lord only leaves a mark and he has only a semblance of lust and anger. He is then like a child. The child is not subject to any of the three gunas (qualities) of sattva, rajas and tamas. It takes as much time for a child to give up a thing as he has taken to feel attracted to it.

“You can take away from the child a piece of cloth worth five rupees by tempting him with half a pice doll. But in the first instance he may say firmly: ‘No, I shall not give it to you. My father has bought it for me.’ For a child all is alike, there is nothing big or small for him. So he has no feeling of caste. His mother says, ‘Look, he is your elder brother.’ He may even be a carpenter (by caste), yet the child would sit with him and eat in the same plate. A child has hatred towards none, he has no feeling of purity and impurity. He does not care to clean his hands with mud after answering the call of nature.

“Even after attaining samadhi some people live with the ‘I of a bhakta’ and the ‘I of a servant.’ The bhakta retains the feeling of I-ness: ‘I am Your servant, You are my Master,’ ‘I am Your bhakta, You are my Bhagavan.’ Even after God- realization one retains this I-ness. One’s I-ness does not vanish completely. Besides, practice of this feeling of I-ness leads one to God- realization. This is what is known as path of Bhakti Yoga.

“By following the path of bhakti one can attain Brahmajnana. Bhagavan is omnipotent - when one thinks in this way He can also impart Brahmajnana (knowledge of Brahman). But generally speaking, a bhakta does not seek Brahmajnana. He wishes to retain the I-ness: ‘I am Your servant, You are my Master,’ ‘I am Your child, You are my Mother.’ ”

Vijay — But the people who reason in the manner of Vedanta also attain Him?

Sri Ramakrishna — Yes, He can also be attained by the path of reason. This is known as Jnana Yoga. The path of reason is very difficult. I had told you about the seven planes. When the mind reaches the seventh plane, one attains samadhi. On true realization that Brahman is real and the world illusory, the mind merges and it experiences samadhi. But in the age of Kali life of man depends on food. Then how can he know that Brahman is real and the world illusory?

Such awareness does not come without getting rid of body consciousness. I am neither the body, nor the mind, nor the twenty-four elements and that I am beyond pleasure and pain, then how can I have disease and sorrow, old age and death? Such a realization is difficult in Kaliyuga. Howsoever much you may reason, the conviction that I am the body creeps in somehow and shows itself. You may cut the peepal tree now, you may think that you have uprooted it but the very next day in the morning you will see that a new sprout has shot up. The feeling of the body does not leave you. Thus, the Bhakti Yoga is good and easy path in the age of Kali.

“I don’t want to become sugar, I like to eat it. I never feel like saying, ‘I am Brahman.’ I say, ‘You are my Bhagavan and I Your servant.’ It is good to play between the fifth plane and the sixth. After crossing the sixth plane I have no desire to stay on the seventh plane for long. I desire that I shall sing His names and glories. The attitude of the Master and the servant is very good. And see, everybody calls the wave of the Ganga, nobody calls the Ganga of the wave. That ‘I am He’ is not a good feeling of I-ness. If a person entertains such a feeling of I-ness while retaining the conviction that I am the body, it brings great harm to him; he cannot advance further. He gradually goes down spiritually. He deceives others and he also deceives himself. He cannot understand his own state.”

Two kinds of bhakti - most eligible person - way to realize the Lord

“Bhakti alone does not enable you to realize the Lord. Unless you have prema bhakti (loving devotion), you cannot attain the Lord. The raga bhakti is another name of prema bhakti. Without prema, without love, you cannot realize Bhagavan. Without love for the Lord, you cannot attain Him.

“There is another kind of bhakti. It is known as vaidhi bhakti (prescribed worship). You have to repeat the name of God for a fixed number of times, you have to keep fast, you have to go to pilgrimages, you have to worship in some prescribed manner, you have to make so many sacrifices and so on - all this constitutes vaidhi bhakti. By practising all this you gradually gain raga bhakti. But so long as you don’t have raga bhakti, you cannot realize the Lord. You should have love for Him. When your worldly way of thinking disappears completely and your mind goes to Him all the sixteen annas (one hundred percent), only then you attain God.

“But some people acquire raga bhakti naturally.

They are perfect by themselves. They have it from

their very childhood. They weep for the Lord from the very childhood. For example, Prahlada. Vaidhi bhakti (prescribed worship) is like moving a fan to have breeze. You need a fan to get breeze. You will eventually attain love for

the Lord, so you need japa (repetition of the Name), austerity, fasting and so on. But when the southern breeze blows by itself, people then set aside the fan. When love, prema for the Lord comes of itself, rituals like japa, etc. drop off. When one is mad with the love of Hari, how can one perform the vaidhi bhakti?

“So long as you have not acquired love for God your bhakti is unripe. When you have acquired love for God yours is the ripe bhakti.

“He who has unripe bhakti cannot internalize spiritual instructions and the talk on the Lord. It is only when the photographer’s glass is coated black (with silver nitrate), it catches the image and it is retained there. Otherwise, you may throw a thousand images on ordinary glass not one of them will be retained - the moment the object is removed, the glass becomes the same as it was. One cannot internalize spiritual instruction unless one has attained love for the Lord.”

Vijay — Sir, is it sufficient to have bhakti alone for attaining the Lord, for having his vision?

Sri Ramakrishna — Yes, one can see God only through bhakti but it must be ripe bhakti, prema bhakti, or raga bhakti. Only after gaining that bhakti, one loves God as the son loves his mother, or the mother loves her child, or the wife her husband.

“When you have such a love, such a raga bhakti,

you don’t have that attraction of maya for your wife, son and dear relatives. You only retain kindness for them. The world then appears a foreign land - a land of duty alone. As you may have your home in a village and your place of work in Calcutta. You may have to live in a rented house in Calcutta for work. When you have acquired love for the Lord, you are completely rid of your attachment to the world, of your worldly wisdom.

“If there is just a trace of worldly wisdom, you cannot see God. If the match stick is wet you may rub it a thousand times, it will not strike fire; you will only waste heaps of sticks. The mind attached to the worldly objects is like wet matchstick.

“When Srimati (Radha) said, ‘I see Krishna

everywhere,’ her sakhis [6]said, ‘How? We are not able to see him. Are you delirious?’ Srimati said, ‘